A former Thames Valley Police (TVP) staff member and her brother haven jailed for passing on information that was "gold dust" to a drug-dealing gang. 

Catherine Arrol, 29, a former Thames Valley Police (TVP) call handler, and her brother John Arrol, 39, were charged over passing information to a criminal gang. 

Catherine Arrol, of Silver Close, Miadenhead, had pleaded guilty to three offences relating to participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group and four charges of misconduct in public office.

Her brother John, of Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, had been charged with three counts of participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group as a result of the investigation.

It followed an investigation from TVP’s Counter Corruption Unit, which followed up concerns about unauthorised access to police systems after an internal audit. 

The subsequent court case heard that Miss Arrol was working from home, where she lived with her parents and brother, during the coronavirus pandemic when the incidents happened. 

It was argued that between March and June 2020, Ms Arrol had input non-emergency queries into the police system and managed the queries, while Mr Arrol accessed the police system to look up information that was then shared with organised criminal groups. 

Now a judge at Reading Crown Court has handed down a 34-month prison sentence for Catherine Arrol and a 24-month stint in prison for her brother. 

Ms Arrol broke down in tears as her sentence was read out, placed her hands to her mouth, and then clutched her chest before steadying herself against the glass screen of the dock. 

She hugged her brother - who remained silent throughout the sentencing - before the pair were taken from the dock. 

Mr Arrol had "ruined" his sister's life and his own through his "friendship" with criminals, Judge Amjad Nawaz said in sentencing. 

Addressing the police's polices on accessing information, Judge Nawaz told Ms Arrol that she knew "full-well the restrictions applied to you" and her conduct "undermines the confidence of the public" in regards to police investigations.