A panel has heard a serving police officer accessed confidential files on a domestic abuse victim as "a favour" to her ex partner’s friend.

Jessica Hamer appeared at Kent Police’s Maidstone headquarters today for the start of a three-day gross misconduct hearing, where she is accused of breaking police standards.

Defending PC Hamer, her solicitor Kevin Baumber accused her ex, referred to as Mr A, of a “splatter gun” approach to cause her humiliation.

A three-man panel heard while the pair were dating in the summer of 2014, a friend of Mr A asked for his help to find an ex-girlfriend, Ms C.

Mr A claims he told PC Hamer, an officer with Kent Police since 2001: “Don’t get yourself in trouble, could you please find out where his ex girlfriend is.

“I was just trying to do a friend a favour I didn’t realise it would be so serious.”

It is alleged the serving officer visited Celt House in Margate on August 11 that year while on duty and used a computer to access information on Ms C.

It is alleged the computer had a name specific and a separate, location-specific search entered while the officer in charge of the computer, PC Leah Roberts, was away from her desk.

The searches revealed the name and address of Ms C, as well as the fact she was the victim of a suspected domestic violence incident, for which Mr B was a suspect.

PC Hamer allegedly then told Mr A she had used a colleague’s unattended computer but the domestic violence report meant she could go no further.

Both PC Roberts and PC Hamer deny making the entries.

In September 2016, four months after the couple had split up, Mr A contacted 101 with a series of accusations regarding his former girlfriend, falsely claiming her father had a criminal record and she had hidden the loss of an identity card.

Defending, Mr Baumber pointed out both claims were false, branding them: “A splatter gun approach, firing lots of accusations so one would stick.

He accused Mr A of having a “determination to cause and upset humiliation” to his former partner.

Following his report, Mr A claims PC Hamer told him “things would get better if you could retract your statement, as I could lose my job.”

PC Hamer denies all accusations and will give evidence at the hearing tomorrow.