A police constable told a twisted lie about holding a dead child in his arms after the Manchester Arena terror attack.
Lee Howard, 32, even went live on the radio to talk of how he arrived within minutes of the Manchester bombing and saw the dead and dying lying across the floor, as he supposedly tried to save victims.
However, the truth was exposed at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, February 21, when the court heard how Howard had lied.
In reality, Howard only arrived at the Arena around 80 minutes after the deadly explosion along with his colleagues, and was only deployed to the outer cordon.
The 32-year old's lies came to light during an investigation by his bosses at Greater Manchester Police over his misuse of the force's computer systems.
But after hearing that former soldier Howard was mentally ill at the time and is still undergoing treatment, a judge allowed him to walk free from court.
Howard, of Zorbit Mews, Hyde, Tameside, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to eight offences involving unauthorised access to computer data and disclosing personal data.
Robert Dudley, prosecuting, told the court that after leaving the Army, Howard joined the British Transport Police before transferring to Greater Manchester Police in March 2017.
The investigation into Howard began after the force received information from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, who found WhatsApp messages between a Northern Irish policeman and Howard.
Howard’s home was raided by the GMP Anti-Corruption Unit on June 21, 2018 and his phone and electronic devices seized.
This led to the eight charges being brought against him with the first going back to just two months after he had joined the force.
Detectives found WhatsApp conversations Howard had with his wife about a GMP officer whose son went to the school she worked at in Stockport.
Following the conversation, Howard accessed the force computer to get information about the officer.
Robert Dudley, prosecuting, said Howard sent this information to his wife and in the messages said he was like AC12 - which is the fictional unit from the TV series Line of Duty.
The same month in further messages to his wife, he told her personal details about a suspected robber and “disclosed personal and disparaging details” about the female victim.
Mr Dudley told the court how in July 2017 and January the next year he again illegitimately accessed the computer for information.
In June 2018, Howard sent images from the system which showed facial injuries suffered by a historical alleged rape victim to a man on Whatsapp, breaching the victim's right to anonymity.
The court heard how during the same month he also accessed the profile of a 15-year-old and stored it on his phone and in an online chat to a woman in Northern Ireland he talked of “showing a hilarious mugshot of a kid in custody”.
Meanwhile, the next day, shortly after starting work Howard accessed the computer system about a nine-year-old who was in foster care.
After chatting on WhatsApp with his wife, he identified the child’s natural mother and her photograph.
Mr Dudley told the court how in messages to his wife about the child, Howard said 'don't want social worker finding out I'm nosing x.'
Howard then went on to provide his wife with the criminal record details of the child's mother.
When interviewed about the offences which spanned over 15 months, Howard made no comment
Peter Doyle, QC, defending, said: “This offending occurred when he was unwell.”
He had been “a young officer, very much an ambassador for the police.”
Doyle told the court how after the offences came to light Howard was taken off front line duties and put on back office work, "where ironically his time was spent dealing with computer and data.
Doyle added: "There have no occasions to be concerned about the way he performed these back office duties.
“He is responding properly to medication and management but is still unwell.”
Mr Doyle said that Howard, who has not been suspended by the force, will face a meeting with the Chief Constable.
He added: “The likelihood is this officer will either face dismissal or in recognition of is mental illness, which we submit drove this conduct, a requirement to resign. This has less stigma but same consequences.”
He said that his “bizarre behaviour and engaging in irrational banter may have been a response to pressures at home and wider afield.”
Judge Menary, told Howard, “Permission to access systems carries a high level of trust and anything that threatens the integrity of the systems is bound to be regarded as serious.
"It undermines public confidence in the police ability to safeguard sensitive and personal information.”
Judge Menary said the explanation for “this bizarre behaviour” including passing on information which may have been “completely inaccurate, false and made up by you may lie in the fact that for some significant time you have been suffering from mental illness.”
The judge added he accepted that Howard had not benefited in any way from his behaviour and imposed a two year community order.
He also ordered him to carry out 150 days unpaid work and five days rehabilitation activities and to pay £750 towards prosecution costs.”
