Greater Manchester Police Officer Jailed for Leaking Sensitive Information to Criminal Associates

Choni Kenny, 27, who joined Greater Manchester Police in 2020, has been jailed for three years and nine months - Greater Manchester Police/PA

A police officer from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after admitting to leaking confidential law enforcement information to two criminal associates with whom she had personal relationships.

Choni Kenny, 27, who joined GMP in 2020, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court following a two-day hearing. The court was told Kenny had a “casual sexual relationship” with Josh Whelan, a known and "committed criminal," and a "physical but casual" relationship with another man, Rahim Mottley, a former schoolmate.

Choni Kenny was ‘infatuated’ with Josh Whelan, the court was told - Greater Manchester Police/PA

During sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC emphasized that Kenny's motivation was not financial gain or malice, but rather a result of “naivety, immaturity, and a desire to maintain friendships.” However, he added that both Whelan and Mottley exploited her willingness to share sensitive police information, and that Kenny “must have known that what you were doing was wrong.”

The court heard that Kenny appeared to be infatuated with Whelan and was aware of his ongoing criminal activities, including drug dealing. While Whelan was incarcerated between 2021 and 2023, he had access to 20 different mobile phones, which Kenny funded. Judge Flewitt noted this as an “aggravating feature” and said she actively assisted Whelan in continuing his criminal operations from prison.

Among the intelligence Kenny leaked was a victim statement from a case in which Whelan was accused of violence against a former partner. After Whelan's release from prison in November 2022, the pair were spotted together in Kenny’s BMW and visited a Nando’s restaurant before Kenny returned to work, where she accessed restricted police systems to look up details about recently released prisoners.

Rahim Mottley was a former schoolmate of Choni Kenny - Greater Manchester Police/PA

Kenny also misused her police access to assist Mottley. Following his arrest in February 2022, she searched GMP databases to gather information about the case. She warned him about an upcoming police firearms raid and offered to identify local informants, shortly before attending a training course on handling police sources.

Mottley, who had been in Spain—where some of his family lived and where Kenny had previously visited him—was arrested and extradited to face charges in the UK. He was sentenced to two years and four months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

Whelan, 31, of Purley Avenue in Wythenshawe, Manchester, received a sentence of two years and eight months. He admitted to three counts of possessing a specified item in prison, possession of a bladed article, racially aggravated assault, threatening behavior, and a bail offence.

Kenny, of Tennyson Road in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, previously admitted four counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

The court underscored the gravity of her actions, with the judge stating, “You have let down not only GMP and the community it serves but also yourself, your family and your friends.”

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