PC used police computer to check up on his gay partners
A MARRIED policeman used the force computer to check the details of men he had sex with.
PC Haydn Evans also used the police database to check whether his car had been logged at well- known gay pick-up spots, and performed electronic searches for incidents involving the words "homosexual", "bum boy" and "gay guy" for his own "sexual gratification", a court has heard.
Evans, who was a well-known community bobby in Morriston for many years and a member of Loughor Town Band, pleaded guilty to 12 charges of the unauthorised accessing of police data when he appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court yesterday.
Prosecutor Rob Simkins said Evans had used the force's confidential Niche database between November 2008 and January 2009 in a "gross breach of trust" to search for information on seven men — six of whom "had links to the homosexual community".
He said: "They have all been spoken to and have confirmed that they knew him socially.
"He admitted he did access the system. He got details of several men he had had sexual relations with."
The court heard that when asked by investigators why he had wanted the information, his reasons ranged from wanting to check the health status of the men to getting contact details he had misplaced. Mr Simkins also told the court that Evans had used the computer "in order to ensure that his vehicle had not been seen in areas known for homosexual activity" including Sketty Lane in Swansea, Mumbles Road and Fabian Way.
Evans — who has two adult sons — was arrested on January 29 this year, following an investigation by the force's professional standards unit.
He has been a South Wales Police officer for more than 25 years, and as well as being a community officer in Morriston, he served time as a community intelligence officer in Mumbles.
Outside the force he is musical director and conductor of the popular Loughor Town Band.
Jon Nutman, in mitigation, said Evans deeply regretted what he had done, and had co-operated fully with the investigation. He said Evans had an exemplary police record and had already offered to resign or take early retirement, something which would have a substantial effect on his police pension.
"His personal and financial situation is uncertain," he said.
"But the real sanction takes place beyond these doors."
The court heard that Evans's family were unaware of the matter until the court date.
Magistrates gave Evans a 12-month condition discharge, with £80 costs.
Following the completion of the case, a spokeswoman for South Wales Police said: "We will always undertake swift and robust action when investigating allegations of staff misconduct."
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by Jeff, Swansea, Wales
Friday, June 11 2010, 7:41PM
“If you're gay then do the straight men a favour and stop having children with women... it's tough enough as it is, finding a decent one.
And yes what he did was wrong, misusing what is a powerful piece of tech for personal use. A massive breach of privacy.”
by Gman, Bristol
Friday, June 11 2010, 8:24AM
“What he did was wrong but hey when a society states what a man should be then naturally if you don't fit in you will try to live your life in secret hence the "wife". You may argue that it is 2010 and that the world is now accepting and I would too agree with you but the world at the same time is not. The world is ok with it as long as it is on the radio, tv magazines etc... Why do you think that you just don't see gay men walking around holding hands? It's not that they don't want to because in some places like in Spain where is safe to do that gay men not only hold hands but they go to dinner dates, shopping together and not have to watch their speech for key words that in somewhere like the uk would identify him or her as gay. It's a sad fact. Same as the news coverage on Mr Haydn, police officers up and down the country abuse their rights but the only reason that this one has made it nationaly is because Mr Haydn is gay and in thee lies the problem, this story is interesting because he had a wife, kids ad he was gay not because of the rights he breached. The majority of men on gay websites are married men living a life in secret. If you saw two men kissing in the street would you think "yuk!" would you stare or just continue? Kids and adults call things gay like "I hate that tv program it's so gay" because they think that being gay is wrong/bad. You might get a hood laugh out of it but the amount of lives that it affects is huge, while I write this on the bus I have already hear the "gay" word being used in a negative way twice.”
by Frizzen, Swansea
Friday, June 11 2010, 7:24AM
“The problem with this type of case is that sooner or later people are going to start saying it¿s his own private life etc, completely missing the point. Leaving this particular case aside for a moment I would comment more generally.
If you have been entrusted with the welfare and safety of others, politicians, police officers etc, then you have no right to act in a manner that may cause distress and alarm to those who you are there to serve, even though such actions may be performed ¿off duty¿ so to speak. People in those positions must accept that they must be Caesar¿s wives and always beyond suspicion. How would you like to find out that a politician who has the job of tackling drug addiction is himself a drug addict? How about a police officer who spend his free time breaking in to people¿s homes, and then claim he shouldn¿t lose his job because he committed crimes ¿off duty¿?
This particular case is worrying for another reason. Male police officers are not allowed to perform body searches on female suspects and vice versa for obvious reasons. If however a police officer is homosexual then that raises serious problems. A suspect for instance could claim, rightly or wrongly, that they have been sexually abused by a homosexual officer, or threaten to do so if the officer doesn¿t overlook anything found during such a search.
At the very least an officer lays himself open to blackmail.”
by Anon, Swansea
Thursday, June 10 2010, 8:39PM
“EP should stop comments on this story! PC Evans has been a totally committed officer in morriston!!!! leave the Police do their discipline!!!!
EP remove comments!!! please”
by G Armstrong, Swansea
Thursday, June 10 2010, 4:56PM
“Sorry Jule, the point is he is in a very priviliged position and he's abused and betrayed that trust for his own sexual gratification, yes your cleaners can look up personal details no doubt but it was the use these details were used for is the problem.”