WA prison officer fined for snooping

A senior prison officer who used a work computer to obtain information about prisoners involved in a drugs syndicate has been fined $5000.

Amarjit Singh Hansra, 55, originally defended 22 charges of unlawful use of a restricted access computer, but changed his plea to guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court.

Magistrate Michelle Ridley accepted that Hansra acted out of curiosity, not for any personal benefit, and his actions were at the low end of the scale for this type of offending.