Today sees the start of a serving PSNI officer’s trial at Laganside Crown court. The allegedly corrupt officer is accused of theft and misconduct in public office.
Yvonne Forte is also under investigation by the Police Ombudsman for planting evidence in the home of a former UDR soldier and tampering with evidence.
Ms Forte has tried desperately to have the case kept under the radar, even at one point securing a gagging order and having her name redacted from the court list. Her legal team have also tried on a number of occasions to have the case thrown out, and moved around different venues in order to avoid the scrutiny of the media.
Forte’s address has been given as c/o Knocknagoney PSNI station. This stands in stark contrast to others who appear before the courts and have their address read out in open court and in high-profile cases reported in the mainstream media. Some have questioned why special treatment is allowed for allegedly corrupt PSNI officers
The first charge faced by the allegedly corrupt officer relates to theft of £760 from police exhibit NH1.The second charge is the theft of £450 from exhibit YF1 and the theft of £985 from exhibit YF2.
She is further charged with the theft of £1,290 from the crown court police exhibit YF3 and the theft of £300 from exhibit YF4.
The PSNI officer also faces two further charges of misconduct in public office linked to the alleged thefts.
The trial is due to begin today in Laganside Crown court, Belfast.