Corrupt officer caught kissing prisoner in uniform
A kiss caught on CCTV inside a prison waiting room has brought down a police officer who was secretly involved with two criminals and leaked them sensitive police information. Choni Kenny, 27, was jailed for three years and nine months after a judge heard how she abused her position in Greater Manchester Police to feed information to men she was romantically involved with — including one serving time for drug offences.
Wearing her full police uniform, Kenny was seen on camera kissing Josh Whelan, 28, inside Forest Bank Prison in Salford, where he was locked up at the time. That kiss triggered an investigation that ultimately exposed a staggering level of corruption.
Phones, files and prison visits
Kenny supplied Whelan with 20 mobile phones during his sentence, all smuggled in personally. She also accessed police records to hand over confidential material — including a victim impact statement from a woman Whelan was accused of assaulting. Even after his release, the pair continued their relationship. Police later spotted them together in Kenny’s car and eating at a Nando’s restaurant.
She used police systems to look up recently released inmates and shared updates with Whelan, all while fully aware of his background as a drug dealer. Judge Neil Flewitt KC told her: “You were helping him to supervise that operation from prison.”
Second fling, second betrayal
The betrayal didn’t end there. After ending things with Whelan, Kenny began a second relationship with another criminal — Rahim Mottley, 31 — a former schoolmate who had fled to Spain while under investigation by her own force.
She travelled abroad to see him and continued leaking information. Kenny accessed details of a planned firearms raid and warned Mottley in advance. She even offered to identify police informants, all while enrolled in a course on how to manage them.
‘Naive and immature’ – but dangerous
Both Whelan and Mottley were eventually jailed again, and Kenny’s actions were described by a judge as “a consequence of your naivety, immaturity and wish to maintain the friendship of these men.”
But Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Allen made clear the impact of her actions was no small matter: “This plainly amounted to serious corruption,” he said. “She now contemplates her future from behind bars — where she belongs.”
Disgraced officer now behind bars
Kenny admitted four counts of misconduct in public office and one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct. She was dismissed from GMP earlier this month following a misconduct hearing.
Josh Whelan was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting multiple offences including possessing prohibited items in prison, threatening behaviour and racially aggravated assault. Mottley was sentenced to two years and four months after being extradited from Spain and pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
‘Manifestly unsuited’ to wear the badge
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the former officer’s actions were a “tangible manifestation of a distinct lack of integrity, decency and moral fibre” and that she was “manifestly unsuited to the office of constable.”
