Judge warns female police call handlers they are 'looking at prison' as they admit accessing restricted material in the police computer system

By ANDY DOLAN, GENERAL REPORTER Published: 16:36, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 16:43, 3 July 2026 A police staff member has admitted misconduct in public office by accessing confidential material and leaking it to third parties. As part of the same charge, Ellie-Mae Doherty, 22, confessed to not telling her Derbyshire Police employers about her association with individuals involved in criminality.    Doherty and co-accused Jessica Fitzhugh, also 22, worked as call handlers in the force control room. Fitzhugh denied the charge of misconduct in public office but pleaded guilty to accessing unauthorised material on the police computer system.  She is said to have taken images of data held on police systems without authority. The offences took place in 2023 and 2024. His Honour Judge Timothy Spencer KC told the two women that they were both 'looking at prison sentences' when they are sentenced on August 28. He said: 'You are both in an extremely serious position. I am quite sure that your training made plain to you that you should not have done what you did.' Pressed by the Judge, both women concurred from the dock. Ellie-Mae Doherty confessed to not telling her Derbyshire Police employers about her association with individuals involved in criminality Jessica Fitzhugh denied the charge of misconduct in public office but pleaded guilty to accessing unauthorised material on the police computer system He went on: 'You have both pleaded guilty to serious criminal offending. You are both looking at going to prison.  'A custodial sentence is on the cards for both of you. You should not be under any illusions about that.' Judge Spencer gave both women unconditional bail. The defendants were accompanied by their parents for the 15-minute hearing at Leicester Crown Court. Doherty, from Ripley, Derbyshire, wore a black trouser suit and Fitzhugh from Belper in Derbyshire sported dark glasses and a black outfit. They were described in the charges as being contact management operators. The pair were charged following conduct referrals by Derbyshire Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in December 2023 and March 2024.  This prompted an investigation carried out by the force's Counter Corruption Unit under the direction and control of the IOPC.  Both have been suspended from their roles within the force. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.