Corrupt police analyst admits tipping-off friend over secret criminal investigation

A police analyst has admitted illegally accessing information to tip off a friend about an investigation into organised crime.

Former Cheshire Police worker Natalie Mottram, 24, told Jonathan Kay, 38, the EncroChat encrypted phone network used by criminals had been hacked by police.

Mottram, who had befriended Kay and his partner Leah Bennett over a shared love of gym exercise, also told him about information officers had on him.

On Thursday, Mottram, of Warrington, admitted misconduct in public office, perverting the course of justice and unauthorised access to computer material at Liverpool Crown Court.

Mottram had been working as an intelligence analyst at the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Her role was to conduct threat assessments of organised criminal gangs (OCGs) and had been briefed on the details of Operation Venetic - law enforcement's response to the takedown of the encrypted communications platform EncroChat.

Soon after the operation began, it became clear there had been a leak.

On 24 April 2020, a friend of Kay’s messaged another EncroChat user to say he'd learned that day about law enforcement infiltrating the platform.

And he messaged a second contact: “I no [sic] a lady who works for the police. This is not hearsay. Direct to me.

"They can access Encro software. And are using to intercept forearms [sic] only at the moment.

"There [sic] software runs 48 hours behind real time. So have ur burns one day max. And try to avoid giving postcodes over it.”

‘Burns’ refers to the delete-time on messages.

He added: “Her words was are you on Encro, I said no why, I only sell a bit of bud.

"She said cool just giving you heads up. Because NCA now have access. But she wouldn’t lie.”

By 12 June 2020, NCA investigators suspected Mottram was responsible for the leak.

On that day, her bosses asked her to analyse an intelligence log referring to Kay, the partner of Mottram’s close friend Bennett, 38.

But the log was fake and Mottram was under surveillance.

Mottram left work that afternoon and drove to Kay and Bennett’s house in Newark Drive, Great Sankey, Warrington.

Investigators said she had her own key to Kay and Bennett’s house and let herself in.

At 5.15pm Kay arrived home in his car while Bennett arrived seven minutes later in hers.

Prosecutors say this was when Mottram corruptly informed Kay and Bennett about the intelligence log concerning him.

Mottram, Kay, Bennett and the man were all arrested later that day and £200,000 in cash was recovered from Kay and Bennett’s house.

Investigators established that on 21 April, Mottram and Kay were together at his house for nearly two hours.

And that evening Kay and the unnamed man spoke on the phone.

On 24 April, Mottram was again with Kay and Bennett at their home.

Her computer records reveal she was working on Operation Venetic from their address. Kay and the man spoke again on the phone later that day.

Prosecutors say Mottram had "clearly betrayed" information about the secret Operation Venetic investigation.

John McKeon, head of the NCA’s anti-corruption unit, said: "Natalie Mottram betrayed her job, her colleagues and the public she was paid to protect."

Mottram will be sentenced on 3 November along with Kay who admitted perverting the course of justice at an earlier hearing.

A charge of perverting the course of justice against Bennett lies on file and will be dropped when Mottram and Kay are sentenced.