Cambridgeshire officer in court on data protection charge 

A Cambridgeshire Constabulary officer is due to appear in court this week charged with a data protection offence, following our investigation.

Police Constable Neil Woodley, aged 47, will appear at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (6 March) charged under section 170 of the Data Protection Act (2018) for knowingly or recklessly retaining personal data without consent. 

The charge relates to an allegation that, between September 2022 and April 2023, he sent texts and WhatsApp messages from his personal phone to an 18-year-old female, who was in a vulnerable position when he met her during the course of his policing duties.

Our investigation began in April 2023 following a mandatory conduct referral from Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

After concluding our investigation, we referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided to charge PC Woodley. 

UPDATE

PC Woodley pleaded guilty on 4 April 2025 at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court. He was fined £957. 

At the end of our investigation we also found that PC Woodley should face a gross misconduct hearing for allegedly breaching the police standards of professional behaviour. Following his conviction, we will now be liaising with the force to progress disciplinary proceedings.