Five-month jail sentence for ringleader revenge gang
vnunet.com, 21 Nov 2002
A man has been jailed and two more prosecuted under the Data Protection Act (DPA) for taking part in a hi-tech harassment campaign against his ex-girlfriend.
Philip Nourse, 21, was sentenced to five months in jail after he posted explicit pictures of his ex-girlfriend on a website and on her message page on the Friends Reunited website.
Nourse pleaded guilty to obtaining personal data, performing unauthorised modification of a computer programme and harassment. He used the woman's password to access her Friends Reunited page and is now banned from the service.
He also persuaded two friends from mobile phone operator O2 to pass him text messages sent from her telephone. The two have since been sacked and prosecuted under the DPA.
"With any telecoms company there will be a small number of people who have to have unfettered access, and that was the case here," said Sally Beamand of O2.
"We take great care to make sure that our staff are aware of this and, as in this case, [we] always prosecute to the fullest extent possible where infractions have occurred," she added.
The web has done wonderful things for us in recent years, but can it continue to make the world a better place, and what is the worst-case scenario?
The latest trend in personal harassment. It's similar to regular stalking, where someone gives you unwanted attention by following you, sending unwanted letters, and making you feel vulnerable, even in the safety of your own home.
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