THE court case against a man accused of illegally accessing police records has been dropped.

Malcolm Geal, a 56-year-old former officer with West Yorkshire Police, was due to face trial on Tuesday, January 20.

Mr Geal faced 11 counts of breaching the Data Protection Act by looking up and passing on personal data from criminal records and incident logs on the Dorset Police computer system.

However, a decision to discontinue the case at Bournemouth Crown Court was made by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr Geal, of Matchams Lane, Christchurch, said he was pleased that the case had been dropped.

“I have always said I was innocent; that is why I pleaded not guilty,” he told the Daily Echo.

“This is a weight off my mind and for my family as a whole,” Mr Geal added.

He said he believed the CPS did not have the authority to pursue the case without the permission of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“This should never have been brought as a case in the first place,” he said.

The case, in which Mr Geal was accused of illegally accessing the records of his son Simon Geal, his wife Judith Geal and those of Michael and Charles Ricketts, was being handled by the CPS Kent.

A CPS spokesman said: “The case was discontinued on a legal technicality and we are considering whether or not to reinstate the case.”