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| Ex-aide to George Galloway pleads guilty over emails breach | Ex-aide to George Galloway pleads guilty over emails breach |
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| George Galloway's former parliamentary secretary has pleaded guilty to encouraging her police detective husband to access confidential emails. | George Galloway's former parliamentary secretary has pleaded guilty to encouraging her police detective husband to access confidential emails. |
| Aisha Ali-Khan, 33, admitted encouraging Afiz Khan, then a detective inspector in Scotland Yard's special operations unit, to obtain private information without consent. | Aisha Ali-Khan, 33, admitted encouraging Afiz Khan, then a detective inspector in Scotland Yard's special operations unit, to obtain private information without consent. |
| Ali-Khan was arrested and charged last year alongside Khan. He had previously admitted to two counts of misconduct in public office, and was dismissed by the Metropolitan police on 13 June. Ali-Khan sat alongside Khan, 46, in the dock for the brief plea hearing at Southwark crown court in London. | Ali-Khan was arrested and charged last year alongside Khan. He had previously admitted to two counts of misconduct in public office, and was dismissed by the Metropolitan police on 13 June. Ali-Khan sat alongside Khan, 46, in the dock for the brief plea hearing at Southwark crown court in London. |
| In a quiet voice, she said "guilty" as the court clerk asked for her plea to the charge of encouraging the obtaining of personal information without consent on or around 24 August 2012 concerning "people you believe had sent emails". | In a quiet voice, she said "guilty" as the court clerk asked for her plea to the charge of encouraging the obtaining of personal information without consent on or around 24 August 2012 concerning "people you believe had sent emails". |
| At a hearing in December, Khan, a former head of the Muslim contact unit at the Metropolitan police's counter-terrorism unit SO15, pleaded guilty to leaking restricted information relating to the arrest of Anjem Choudary, a radical Muslim cleric, to his wife, who was then employed by Galloway. Choudary was not charged with any offence. Khan also admitted unlawfully obtaining CCTV from South Yorkshire police. | At a hearing in December, Khan, a former head of the Muslim contact unit at the Metropolitan police's counter-terrorism unit SO15, pleaded guilty to leaking restricted information relating to the arrest of Anjem Choudary, a radical Muslim cleric, to his wife, who was then employed by Galloway. Choudary was not charged with any offence. Khan also admitted unlawfully obtaining CCTV from South Yorkshire police. |
| He pleaded not guilty to two counts relating to allegations that he obtained personal data relating to various members of the Respect party by accessing Ali-Khan's email, and that he disclosed to her personal data relating to, among others, the Labour MP for Rother Valley, Kevin Barron. | He pleaded not guilty to two counts relating to allegations that he obtained personal data relating to various members of the Respect party by accessing Ali-Khan's email, and that he disclosed to her personal data relating to, among others, the Labour MP for Rother Valley, Kevin Barron. |
| In October 2012, Galloway accused Ali-Khan of working as an agent for the Metropolitan police and of running a "dirty tricks" campaign against him. However, there was no mention in court of this allegation, which Galloway has described as a "direct attack on not just me but on democracy". | In October 2012, Galloway accused Ali-Khan of working as an agent for the Metropolitan police and of running a "dirty tricks" campaign against him. However, there was no mention in court of this allegation, which Galloway has described as a "direct attack on not just me but on democracy". |
| Ali-Khan was suspended from Bradford's Respect party in 2012, having joined Galloway's team shortly before he was elected MP for Bradford West in the March 2012 byelection. | Ali-Khan was suspended from Bradford's Respect party in 2012, having joined Galloway's team shortly before he was elected MP for Bradford West in the March 2012 byelection. |
| Earlier this year, Ali-Khan was jailed for two findings of contempt of court. She was charged with failing to destroy explicit images of her husband and his estranged wife, and failing to sign an affidavit confirming that she had destroyed the images.The former teacher was ordered to hand over or delete the illicit images after Khan's estranged wife went to the high court to prevent the pictures being made public. However, she defied that court order and on 3 April was jailed for three months and ordered to pay about £10,000 in court costs. | |
| However, at a subsequent Court of Appeal hearing on 4 June the finding that she had failed to destroy the images was quashed but the finding that she failed to sign the affidavit was upheld. The sentence was reduced to 28 days | |
| The pair were arrested and charged over the police misconduct following an investigation by the Directorate of Professional Standards into a complaint from a member of the public. | The pair were arrested and charged over the police misconduct following an investigation by the Directorate of Professional Standards into a complaint from a member of the public. |
| Ali-Khan declined to comment to journalists as she left the courtroom with her husband. Khan faces a jail term and Ali-Khan is likely to be fined when the pair are sentenced on 11 July. | Ali-Khan declined to comment to journalists as she left the courtroom with her husband. Khan faces a jail term and Ali-Khan is likely to be fined when the pair are sentenced on 11 July. |
| Galloway said: "Well, the wheels of justice do grind exceedingly slow, but at least they do grind. I first made a complaint to the Metropolitan police commissioner and put down parliamentary questions and motions in October 2012, which resulted in the police investigation, and it has taken until now for justice to be done." | Galloway said: "Well, the wheels of justice do grind exceedingly slow, but at least they do grind. I first made a complaint to the Metropolitan police commissioner and put down parliamentary questions and motions in October 2012, which resulted in the police investigation, and it has taken until now for justice to be done." |
| The Respect MP added that he would write to the Met police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe to complain that Khan was allowed full pay for six months after pleading guilty to two misconduct charges last December. "That cannot be right and I will once more be writing to the commissioner to reiterate that point," Galloway said. | The Respect MP added that he would write to the Met police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe to complain that Khan was allowed full pay for six months after pleading guilty to two misconduct charges last December. "That cannot be right and I will once more be writing to the commissioner to reiterate that point," Galloway said. |
| • This article was amended on 27 June 2014. An earlier version did not make clear that there were two charges of contempt of court and that the finding that Ali-Kahn failed to destroy the images was quashed at a subsequent Appeal Court hearing. This has been corrected. |