Lesley Stock: Former police officer accused of misconduct in a public office

It is alleged that while investigating Jamie Bryson and his links to the flag protests, the accused set up a fake Twitter account and then contacted him

A fresh trial date concerning a former police officer accused of misconduct in a public office was confirmed at Belfast Crown Court on Friday.

Lesley Stock, who is now retired, denies the charge which dates back to the loyalist flag protests over a decade ago and involved alleged online contact with Jamie Bryson.

The case has been the subject of numerous delays and ongoing legal arguments and was listed for mention again today.

Judge Patricia Smyth set the new trial date as Monday, November 10, 2025. The trial had previously been due to start on Monday, June 16 this year but was stood down due to legal issues.

It’s the Crown’s case that between March 4, 2014 and July 21, 2015 being a police officer Stock misconducted herself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the trust of the public.

A previous court heard that it is alleged by the prosecution that while an officer in the PSNI investigating loyalist activist Jamie Bryson and his links to the flag protests, she set up a fake Twitter account and then contacted him.

With her age listed as ‘unknown’ and with an address as c/o Tennent Street PSNI Station in Belfast, Stock has entered a ‘not guilty’ plea to the alleged offence.

The Belfast Recorder said she will review the case on Friday, October 10, 2025, ahead of the start of the trial.

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