A Toronto police officer has been charged criminally after he allegedly provided a suspect in a theft investigation with information he obtained from an internal database.

Police allege that the officer used a messaging app to communicate with a suspect in a Halton Regional Police Service theft and stolen property investigation between April and October of 2020.

They say that during this time the officer accessed police computer systems to provide the suspect with details about an address and a vehicle.

They also say that he took a photograph of an apprehended person using his personal phone and sent it to the suspect using the messaging app.

In February of this year the Halton Regional Police Service alerted the Toronto Police Service to the officer’s alleged communications with the individual and an internal investigation was launched.

The officer was then suspended from duty in April while the investigation continued.

In a news release issued on Sunday afternoon police confirmed that Const. Ewan MacLeod, 44, has since been charged with one count of breach of trust.

They say that he is also charged with six offences under the police services act, including neglect of duty, breach of confidence and insubordination.

MacLeod is a 20-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service, who was most recently assigned to 23 Division.

He remains suspended with pay as per the terms of the Police Services Act.