A private investigator from Saskatoon has pleaded guilty to unlawfully accessing a computer data base.

A representative for Michael Robinson entered a guilty plea on his behalf in a Regina courtroom Friday.

Robinson has admitted he received protected information from a police computer system at the Balcarres RCMP detachment.

He's agreed to pay a $20,000 fine, which was recommended in a joint submission by the Crown and defence.

Four years ago, Robinson's firm, Robinson Investigations, was at the centre of an extensive privacy investigation involving police and several government departments.

Six government and Crown workers were suspended following the probe.

Crown prosecutor Sandeep Baines said the case holds an important message for people responsible for sensitive data. 

"We are all responsible for information that we have in our hands in terms of the jobs that we do," he said. "We have to be very careful in how we deal with that information" in terms of whom its given to and how it's used.

Robinson is facing similar charges in Saskatoon.