A POLICE community support officer is facing the sack for using the force computer to find a photograph of a woman bus driver.

Bernard Iley downloaded the photo of the former friend to his mobile and used it, so when the woman called him, the photo would pop up.

But a court heard the officer did not have permission to use the photo and was suspended when his bosses found out.

Chelmsford Crown Court also heard the woman in the picture is no longer in a friendship with Iley.

The 56-year-old was told by a judge he had committed an “extremely bad error of judgment” when he took the photo from police files.

Judge David Turner QC told Iley: “When you did this, you entered the forbidden zone and it has had the gravest of consequences. You have brought shame on yourself and derailed your career.”

Iley worked as a PCSO for Rochford district. He has been suspended on pay of £1,500 a month since March, but the court heard he is now almost certain to lose his job.

He admitted a charge of obtaining personal information without permission when he appeared in court.

Judge Turner fined him £1,000 plus £1,000 costs.

The court heard Iley, of Cheddar Avenue, Westcliff , had been a PCSO since 2003 and got on friendly terms with the woman bus driver from the Southend area.

It was at this time, between January 2011 and February this year, Iley found the picture of the woman, Stephen Rose, prosecuting, said.

The matter came to light and father-of-five Iley was suspended in March. His barrister, Alexis Dite, told the court: “The real consequence of this is he will lose his job.

“He put the picture on his contacts list and accepts it was not used for a legitimate reasons.

“He had a friendship with this woman, but she did not want it to continue.”

The court heard Iley was a traffic warden in the Southend area for more than 20 years before becoming a community support officer.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Professional standards will now look at commencing internal disciplinary proceedings.”