A police officer who was “infatuated” with her convicted criminal partner has been punished for disclosing sensitive information to him.
Lorna Pennycook, 38, fraudulently obtained information from West Midlands Police systems between 2017 and 2021 and supplied it to Anthony Kennedy, 43, who has 18 convictions for crimes including vehicle theft.
After meeting Kennedy on a dating website in 2016, she gave information on him, his vehicles, and criminality in Birmingham’s Sandwell area, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The CPS stated that the knowledge provided Kennedy an “advantage” and might impair active police investigations.
The disgraced former cop, who worked for the force’s organized crime and gangs unit, was so “infatuated” with Kennedy that she attempted to phone him 81 times. He only answered three of the calls.
Pennycook, of Walsall, pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in public office in March 2023 and was sentenced to four years in jail by Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.
Between August and November 2017, she investigated two HGV thefts committed by Kennedy while working for West Midlands Police on August 22, 2017, and October 26, 2017.
When he discovered Pennycook was a police officer in 2017, he sent messages expressing his desire to quit the relationship, but she responded by saying she had “accepted everything” about him and added, “You don’t choose who you love.”
When Kennedy attempted to end the relationship, Pennycook persuaded him that she could help him, according to the head of the CPS’s special crime branch.
Pennycook told police after her arrest that Kennedy had “ruined her life” and that she was afraid of him, according to the CPS.
She would instruct Kennedy to delete texts between them, and in February 2021, she requested that Kennedy purchase a “burner” phone for her to use as their contact.
The CPS also found evidence that Kennedy urged her to undertake criminal searches on several occasions.
Kennedy, of Tipton, admitted to inciting or assisting in offenses with the belief that one or more would be committed in March 2024 and was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday.
According to Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime division, Lorna Pennycook fell in love with Anthony Kennedy and sent him incredibly sensitive material over four years.
“There is evidence that Kennedy encouraged her to conduct the criminal searches on some occasions, but Pennycook must also accept responsibility for her shameful actions, which risked undermining public trust and confidence in police officers.”
“She persuaded Kennedy that she could assist him when he attempted to break off the relationship and must now face the consequences of passing confidential material to a convicted criminal.”
Steve Noonan, director of operations for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), stated, “Ex-PC Pennycook’s actions were corrupt and criminal.”
“Abusing her position of power to facilitate criminal activity rather than combat it was a complete breach of the public’s confidence, and such behavior has no place in policing.
“She has now been held responsible for her acts and has a criminal record as a result.
“This investigation is a testament to how seriously the IOPC, law enforcement agencies, and the criminal justice system take this kind of behavior and I am grateful to all those involved in ensuring justice was served today.”
