Former police CCTV operator sentenced for coercive abuse and data offences

Russell Hasler, 42, from Llandysul, was handed a 17‑month prison sentence — suspended for 18 months — at Swansea Crown Court on Monday 24 November. He was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work, attend 20 days of rehabilitation activity, and pay a £500 fine. A five‑year restraining order has been imposed to protect the victim.

Hasler had worked as a civilian CCTV operator for Dyfed‑Powys Police until his arrest in October 2023. He resigned the following month and was later charged with coercive and controlling behaviour towards his ex‑partner, alongside offences under data protection and computer misuse legislation.

He admitted the data protection offence and initially denied coercive control, but changed his plea shortly before trial. The computer misuse charge was dropped from proceedings.

Victim impact statement: “The damage cannot be undone”

In a statement read to the court, the victim described the long‑term impact of the abuse, saying:

“There were times when the emotional pain, torment and relentlessness of the abuse became so overwhelming that I questioned whether I could carry on.”

She detailed ongoing cognitive and physical symptoms linked to chronic anxiety and stress, including memory lapses, intrusive thoughts, and persistent discomfort.

Police response: “A profound betrayal of public trust”

Detective Constable Simon Reynolds, from Dyfed‑Powys Police’s Professional Standards Department, said the case represented a serious breach of public trust.

“Controlling and coercive behaviour has a devastating impact on its victims,” he said. “The fact that Russell Hasler was a police staff member at the time of offending, compounded by his breaching of Data Protection legislation, is a profound betrayal of the standards that the public should rightly expect.”

He praised the victim’s courage in supporting the investigation and said the sentencing should reassure the public that such offences are taken seriously.

#cctv #coerciveAndControllingBehaviour #computerMisuse #dataProtection #dyfedPowysPolice #llandysul #policeCctvOperator #policeComputerMisuse #policeProfessionalStandards

Former police CCTV operator admits coercive control and data offences

Russell Hasler, 41, from Llandysul, worked at the force’s headquarters between May 2019 and November 2023. He resigned while under investigation by the Professional Standards Department.

Arrest and charges

Hasler was arrested in October 2023 on suspicion of coercive and controlling behaviour, computer misuse and data protection offences. He was later charged with all three.

In March 2025, he admitted to knowingly obtaining or disclosing personal data without consent. He had denied coercive control until 20 October, when he changed his plea to guilty two days before his trial at Swansea Crown Court.

The computer misuse charge was denied and no further action is being taken on that count.

Allegations of surveillance

Court proceedings heard that between February 2020 and September 2021, Hasler engaged in coercive behaviour towards his partner. This included accessing police logs relating to her, her ex‑partner and her friends, and using CCTV systems to monitor her movements — making her aware that he was doing so.

He also accessed information without authorisation, in breach of data protection laws.

Court proceedings

At a hearing earlier this year, Hasler admitted the data protection offences at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court. His guilty plea to coercive control was accepted by prosecutors at Swansea Crown Court in October.

Defence counsel Dyfed Thomas said Hasler “didn’t realise the effects of his behaviour at the time but accepts he ought to have done so.”

Judge Catherine Richards adjourned sentencing for a pre‑sentence report, warning Hasler: “You should be prepared for all outcomes.” He was re‑admitted to bail.

Police response

Superintendent Phil Rowe, Head of the Professional Standards Department at Dyfed‑Powys Police, said:

“Domestic abuse will not be tolerated within Dyfed‑Powys – whether the offender is a member of the public or from within our organisation.

As a force, we are committed to working towards the elimination of domestic abuse, and that is a priority not just within our communities but also internally here at Dyfed‑Powys Police. We welcome this guilty plea and await the sentencing.”

Sentencing

Hasler is due to be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Monday 24 November.

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#CCTV #coerciveBehaviour #computerMisuse #dataProtection #domesticAbuse #DyfedPowysPolice #Llandysul #PoliceCCTVOperator

@ianb @Meyerweb

I was about to ask, myself, where that bloke was who says "Hah! No." to such questions. (-:

That said, if the argument was (and is) that 35 years was an egregious and unjust suggestion by prosecutors, it is *still* surely egregious and unjust in *other* cases if one contends that they are alike.

*That* said, I wonder how that "Hah! No." bloke answers the question: Is ignoring robots.txt illegal?

(-:

https://law.stackexchange.com/q/77755/18361

#USLaw #RobotsTxt #Anthropic #ComputerMisuse