Cristal Archer leaked confidential Covid information to boyfriend, court hears

A woman who worked alongside Border Force leaked confidential information to her boyfriend on the run from Covid cops, a court has heard.

A WOMAN working with the Australian Border Force worker leaked confidential information to her boyfriend on the run from NT Covid cops, a court has heard.

Cristal Maree Archer, 37, appeared in Darwin Local Court to plead guilty to disclosing confidential information to help a man evade authorities after jumping the border into the NT.

Prosecutors argued the illegal border jumping incident in September was similar to the cause of Darwin’s current lockdown.

“These offences are very serious, it could have put this community in jeopardy,” the police prosecutor said.

The court heard Archer texted the secret information to her boyfriend, including advising him to hire a rental car and to “chuck a uee” when he neared border patrols.

Prosecutors said her actions helped him escape police and remain undetected in the community.

Her lawyer said Archer was “caught up in the investigation” when her texts were found on her then-boyfriend’s phone. 

The court heard Archer also pressured a family member to breach health measures in an unrelated incident on September 15.

Cristal Maree Archer.

The court heard phone records showed the family member was concerned the advice would put Archer’s job in danger, however the Darwin woman dismissed these concerns.

Her lawyer Peter Maley said this was the former government worker, now bottle-shop employee’s first time in trouble with the law.

Mr Maley said despite helping others evade Covid rules, Archer was not an anti-vaxxer and had received both her doses.

He argued her offending was “naive” and she did not understand the severity of sharing the classified information.

But prosecutors said she should have confirmed with her border force bosses before leaking anything.

“It’s very simple to ask the question, ‘Is this something that is disclosable?’,” prosecutors said.

On Tuesday Archer pleaded guilty to two counts of disclosing confidential information and one count of inciting the contravention of a health order.

Judge Thomasin Opie said she needed to adjourn the unusual case “(as) I have not come across these changes before”.

Ms Opie said she was particularly concerned that the government worker had undermined her important role.

“(And) general deterrence has to place a significant role in the sentencing process,” she said.

Archer will return to Darwin Local Court on Friday for her final sentence.