Friends Reunited hacker jailed

[Richard Clayton]

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It's interesting here that the police don't seem to have gone for the
RIP offence (intercepting text messages...) [[the "hacking" looks like
password guessing, but the Computer Misuse Act still applies...]]

Perhaps some further trials of the mobile phone company employees are to
be expected ?

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http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/2114071

Friends Reunited hacker jailed 
By Nigel Rosser, Evening Standard 

19 November 2002 

A jilted boyfriend who took revenge on his lover by posting photographs
and videos on the internet of the couple having sex was jailed for five
months today. 

University student Philip Nourse, 21, hacked into the air steward's
entry on the Friends Reunited website, altered her details and posted
the images. He set up another site showing more of their romps. 

A Crown Court at Guildford, Surrey, heard Nourse intercepted her text
messages through friends working for a mobile phone company, hacked into
her emails and printed 50 posters he planned to put up around the
19-year-old's home town of Epsom. 
 
He began his campaign after the messages he intercepted suggested she
had dumped him and rekindled a relationship with a former boyfriend. 

Nourse, in his final year of a sports science degree at Loughborough
University, pleaded guilty to obtaining personal data, performing
unauthorised modification of a computer programme and harassment. 

The woman, now 20, who was not identified in court, told police in a
statement she was upset, ashamed, shocked, embarrassed and distressed by
what had happened. 

She said: "The hurt this has caused to me and my family is
indescribable. I have been in tears over this. There is no way of ever
recovering the pictures and they are something I would never disclose
outside the most intimate relationship. 

"People all over the world could have seen these pictures and I feel
sickened at the thought of other people looking at me in this way." 

Michael Spong, prosecuting, said the offences started after the woman
ended the nine-month relationship in June this year. He said: "It would
appear he was unhappy about that she no longer wanted to associate with
him. The defendant indulged in a campaign of harassment with endeavour
to cause the young lady distress and embarrassment. 

"During the course of the relationship - and with her consent - videos
were taken of their sexual activities. 

"She consented to that on the basis the product was for their private
consumption and not for disclosure to anyone else. 

"It is evident this defendant created still images from the material and
made copies of the videos. 

"When the relationship finished, the young lady received a number of
text messages and it became clear to her that he was threatening to make
public this private material. 

"She became so concerned she eventually agreed to have a meeting with
him where material was handed over. Unfortunately, unknown to her, he
had made copies." 

Mr Spong said Nourse had two friends who worked for the mobile phone
company O2, to which the woman subscribed. They began intercepting her
messages and passing them on to Nourse. 

He said: "Mr Nourse became aware she was still in contact with a former
boyfriend. He had been two-timed. It is a result of his anger that he
got involved in these activities." 

Mr Spong said Nourse went on to the Friends Reunited website with her
user name and password and changed the details. He said: "He put a new
text on that site and he also posted certain intimate photos. 

"He also contacted a firm in the US and set up a new website with her
name. This had posted on it various indecent pictures of the young lady
concerned." 

When police searched Nourse's home in Hook, near Chessington, they found
50 posters he had had printed that he was going to put up around her
home town, the court was told. 

Michael Hillman, defending, said Nourse was an intelligent young man who
was due to get first-class honours in his degree and had never before
been in trouble. Mr Hillman said Nourse was aware of an ex-boyfriend
still on the scene. He said: "He accepts that what he did was utterly
wrong. He was so upset and angry that he didn't think through what he
was doing." 

Judge Michael Addison said: "A custodial sentence is the only one I can
justify because anybody else who might be tempted to do something like
this must know what the penalty will be." 

- -- 
richard                     richard.clayton  @  h i g h w a y m a n . com

"Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind" quoted in ZAMM

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