A glamorous policewoman dubbed 'Hot Cop' has narrowly avoided jail after being caught harvesting confidential details of the investigation to missing mum Nicola Buley - to pass onto pals as "tittle tattle".
PC Molly Bury, 28, illegally accessed the Police National Computer hunting intimate updates about the 45 year-old who vanished in early 2023 prompting a huge search and a nationwide appeal by her force, Lancashire Police.
Chester Magistrates Court heard when one pal kept pestering her for more titbits, Bury based in Blackburn, Lancashire, replied: "I will get in sh*t if they see me checking". Adding again: "I cannot keep checking. I will get into trouble."
She was arrested after a shocked member of the public overheard her mother Andrea Mercer telling how "Molly" had revealed secret details about a rape after checking "her police thing."
She was dubbed 'Hot Cop' online after social media posts about her giving children's centre crime prevention tips.
A District Judge heard she accessed police logs from October 2019 and March 2023 to share 'idle gossip' for "no policing purpose" - such as information on the death of baby, a hit-and-run crash and info about a suspect's preplanned arrest.
When quizzed she admitted she had been "stupid and nosey" but insisted she was not malicious. Most of the information was accessed when she was on annual leave or on the sick.
Now the mother-of-one, from Accrington, Lancashire, has admitted 32 offences of unauthorised access to police logs and handed a six month suspended prison sentence after the DJ said she was "immature" and "not corrupt".
Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram said: "She said she had been stupid and nosey. She was not malicious but accepted that she crossed boundaries.
"These are not corrupt messages. There is no money involved. There is no suggestion this is a criminal fraternity. But the harm is damage to the reputation of police and confidence in policing.
"It was immature gossiping throughout. She was doing work without any insight into the job. It was tittle tattle nonsense much of it."
He told Bury: "You conceded it crossed boundaries and these undignified and unlawful disclosures demonstrated profound immaturity on your part."
Bury - who has lost her job due to the admission - was also ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity and pay £154 in costs and surcharge.
Prosecutor Gayle McCoubrey said the unnamed member of the public contacted police in March 2023, after overhearing Bury's mum sharing information about a rape case.
The prosecutor said: "She was heard to say, 'I asked Molly. She checked her police thing and she said it was a rape.' She said Molly had told her about a victim a few weeks prior and she said it was a murder.
"Police systems identified that PC Molly Bury had viewed both logs on a police issued Samsung device while off duty."
Police raided Bury's home and recovered a mobile phone which showed she had sent confidential information about various police incidents.
In October 2019 she sent details a stabbing incident which she had attended to a friend called Elliot, saying: "The lad from stabbing survived."
She later sent him further messages saying: "A hit and run just came in. Woman probably going to die. Car drove onto the pavement into this lad and girl."
In a further message regarding a dead baby found in December 2019, Bury said: "Oh my God, it is a one year old child."
When on a rest day she sent further texts saying to Elliott: "Undercover police are outside your address." He replied: "F** the feds."
The court heard Bury also shared information with an 'Amy Sanderson' about a local man wanted for a stabbing, another in jail for drugs offences and about a woman who jumped off a building.
Miss McCoubrey said: "On January 28, 2023, the defendant was showing as off sick yet she carried out a search for Nicola Bulley and messages were sent regards that. She sent a number of text messages with regard to that missing person.
"On January 29, she was sick but has again accessed the police system and viewed deployed patrols. At 10.59 Miss Sanderson asked: ‘Any update on Nicky?’ She replied, ‘I will get in s**t if they see me checking.’
"At 11.01, she accessed the Samsung device and searched again and a further message was sent regarding Nicola Bulley.
"At 6.33 Miss Sanderson sent a message ‘Any update?’ and Miss Bury replied: " I have not checked. I cannot keep checking. I will get into trouble.’
"In terms of culpability, this conduct takes place over a number of years, there are 32 occasions, so obviously the volume of the charges is an aggravating feature.
"She is also a serving police officer and she shared that information with multiple members of the public.
"It is difficult to assess the harm as we do not know what the outcome was from accessing that information. She was spreading gossip or sensitive information.
"There was no policing purposes for this defendant to access the logs on these occasions."
Lancashire Police said Bury resigned as a police officer while under investigation. A case of gross misconduct was proved at an accelerated misconduct hearing held last year where it was deemed had she not already resigned she would have been dismissed and Bury has been added to the Barred List.
DCI Pete Reil, from our Anti- Corruption Unit, said: “The public trust the police with their data, particularly when they or their loved ones have been victims of crime. They expect officers and police staff to act responsibly and sensitively with it.
“Molly Bury’s behaviour fell way below what the constabulary expects and what the public would expect of a serving police officer.
“I want to make it clear that the overwhelming majority of police officers in Lancashire are law abiding, respectful and go to work to make a difference in the communities in which they serve.
"Where there is any evidence of wrongdoing by an officer or staff member, our ACU will identify it, investigate it and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to take the appropriate action.”
Nicola Bulley was found dead in the River Wyre at St Michaels on Wyre in February 2023 following a three week manhunt for her which sparked wild speculation online.
A coroner later concluded she had drowned after accidentally falling into the water whilst walking her dog.
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