Daniel Cardus, 26, is accused of accessing police systems to pass information to organised crime gangs
Daniel Carden, 26, formerly worked for Merseyside Police.(Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
A former member of staff at Merseyside Police has been charged with 11 criminal offences including fraud and drug possession. Daniel Cardus, 26, is to be hauled before a court tomorrow (January 16) following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Among the charges is the accusation that Cardus accessed police systems to obtain information that he intended to pass to people linked to organised crime. Cardus is charged with two counts of possession of a Class A drug, four counts of fraud by false representation, three counts of unauthorised access to computer material, one count of misconduct in public office, and one count of perverting the course of justice.
Cardus is alleged to have been caught with cocaine on two occasions, in June 2020 and July 2022. He is also accused of dishonestly making false representations to the Department for Work and Pensions and intending to make a gain by obtaining universal credit payments.
Cardus also faces accusations that he accessed police computer systems to obtain information about his personal vehicle without a policing purpose on three occasions between January 2020 and July 2022.
The charge relating to misconduct in public office stems from allegations Cardus accessed police systems in order to obtain information he was not authorised nor entitled to access, so that it could be passed to people linked to organised crime between April 2020 and July 2022.
The charge of perverting the course of justice relates to alleged closure of tasks on a police computer system between June 2020 and October 2020, with intent to pervert the course of public justice.
The former police worker was investigated by the Merseyside Police’s Anti-Corruption Unit and a file of evidence was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2024, which authorised the charges.
Cardus is set to appear at Manchester Crown Court on January 16.
Do you have a information, a tip or a story? Contact jon.blackburn@liverpoolecho.co.uk
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