Edinburgh therapist sacked after looking up neighbours' and colleagues' private medical records
‘Extreme invasion of privacy’ says sheriff
An NHS Lothian therapist was sacked from her job and arrested by police after she was caught accessing her neighbours’ and colleagues’ private medical records.
Yee Laam Leung was employed at a drug and alcohol centre in Edinburgh when she began looking up the private records of 17 people including her own family members.
Leung, 37, used the medical centre’s computer system to search the personal data without the proper authorisation between May 2023 and April 2024.
The mother-of-two, of Cammo, Edinburgh, was eventually caught out when her conduct was flagged after she looked up her own name on the system.
An internal investigation was launched by NHS management and Leung was subsequently sacked from her position as an occupational therapist.
The police were alerted and she was later arrested and charged with offences under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Leung pleaded guilty to knowingly or recklessly obtaining personal date without consent by repeatedly accessing medical records and personal data when she appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, April 17.
Fiscal depute Katie McKenzie said Leung had repeatedly accessed the records of neighbours and several work colleagues and their families, including children, over an 11 month period.
The fiscal said Leung had also looked at the files of her family members on several occasions and when she looked up her own file her behaviour was flagged up on the system.
Ms McKenzie said: “NHS Lothian began an investigation into the whole matter. She was cooperative during the investigation and did admit accessing files she had no right to access.
“She was subsequently dismissed by NHS Lothian and the matter was reported to the police.
“It was 17 files over the period of the liable and was a mix of neighbours, colleagues, family members of colleagues and her own family members.”
Defence agent Christopher Large told the court his client was a first offender and asked the court to deal with the matter without calling for reports. He said Leung had been employed within the NHS for around 10 years and worked as a carer for adults while she studied occupational therapy.
The lawyer said the offending was had been committed out of “nosiness” and added “she knows she should not have done that” and had been punished already by losing her employment.
The court was told an NHS disciplinary hearing was still to be held into her fitness to practice.
Sheriff Joseph Stewart said: “I have taken into account everything that has been said on your behalf and the fact you have no previous convictions. However, in my view this is a serious breach of the legislation.
“It was prolonged and there were 17 different separate victims. It was quite was an extreme invasion of these people’s privacy.
“I will impose a fine and will limit it to a modest fine given your previous good character.”
The sheriff sentenced Yeung to pay a fine of £320 to mark the offence.