A MORRISONS employee leaked sensitive payroll data because he was "angry and frustrated" about being suspected of sending illegal drugs from the company's Bradford head office, a jury heard yesterday.

Andrew Skelton bore a grudge because he was suspended from work for six weeks after an envelope containing white powder was intercepted in May, 2013, and handed to the police, it is alleged.

Ten months later, he sent packages to the Telegraph & Argus and two national newspapers containing a disc with data on it relating to 100,0000 Morrisons staff members, the prosecution says.

The leaked information was also uploaded on to an internet file sharing websites, the jury at Bradford Crown Court has heard.

Skelton, 43, who was senior IT auditor at Morrisons, pleads not guilty to fraud by abuse of position, unauthorised access to data and disclosing personal data.

The court has heard that the data leak cost the firm more than £2 million.

It listed employees' names, dates of birth, addresses, National Insurance numbers, salaries and bank account details.

The draft of a resignation letter to Morrisons was found on a computer at Skelton's home address in Water Street, Liverpool, the court was told.

Written in November, 2013, it spoke of "unfair, unnecessary and inept" handling of the incident when an envelope he placed in the mail room was intercepted by security staff because it was leaking white powder.

He had paid the postage on the item and felt he had not breached any company rules.

He returned to work when police testing found that the substance was not an illegal drug but he was given a warning over his use of the mail room.

Skelton was arrested on March 19 last year on suspicion of leaking the data and interviewed several times by the police.

He said he had been working at the Morrisons head office, in Gain Lane, Thornbury, since November, 2010, and was capable, well thought of and trusted.

He told detectives he had no idea who sent the data to the newspapers or put it up on a website.

Skelton said he had a sideline selling goods on Ebay which included supplements such as wheatgrass powder.

He was unhappy with how the Human Resources department treated him after his envelope was seized.

The police officers investigating the data leak suggested to Skelton they had "pretty damning evidence" linking him to the offence after examining his home computer, the jury was told.

But he continued to deny that it was anything to do with him.

Skelton will begin giving evidence in his defence today.