Operation Motorman (ICO investigation): Difference between revisions

{{Expert-subject|JournalismUse dmy dates|date=July 20112020}}

'''Operation Motorman''' was a 2003 investigation by the [[Information Commissioner's Office]] into allegations of offences under the [[Data Protection Act 1998|Data Protection Act]] by the British press.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/2011/02/04/observer-seeks-to-distinguish-operation-motorman-from-the-phone-hacking-scandal/|title=Observer seeks to distinguish ‘Operation'Operation Motorman’Motorman' from the phone-hacking scandal|date=February 4, February 2011|author=Rachel McAthy|publisher=journalism.co.uk|accessdateaccess-date=2011-07-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inhouselawyer.co.uk/index.php/media-entertainment-a-sport/8345-fleet-street-phone-hacking-scandal-a-legal-perspective|title=Fleet Street phone-hacking scandal: a legal perspective|author=Laura Tyler and Phil Hartley|publisher=The In-House Lawyer|date=8 March 2011|accessdateaccess-date=2011-07-06}}</ref><ref name=Whatprice>{{cite web|title=What Price Privacy?|url=http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/library/Corporate/Research_and_reports/WHAT_PRICE_PRIVACY.ashx|publisher=Information Commissioner's Office|date=10 May 2006|accessdateaccess-date=2011-07-06|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829133733/http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/library/Corporate/Research_and_reports/WHAT_PRICE_PRIVACY.ashx|archivedatearchive-date=29 August 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The ICO first became aware of the scale of the problem in November 2002, when an ICO investigator attended a search under warrant of [[John Boyall]],<ref name=WhatPricePrivacyNow>{{cite news|title=What Price Privacy Now?|url=http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/current_topics/what_price_privacy_now.aspx|accessdateaccess-date=20 August 2011|newspaper=Information Commissioner's Office|date=December 2006|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817034810/http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/current_topics/what_price_privacy_now.aspx|archivedatearchive-date=17 August 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> a private investigator in Surrey. Documents found on the premises revealed the misuse of data from the [[Police National Computer]]. This discovery led to two investigations: Operation Motorman, conducted by the ICO and led by ICO Senior Investigator Alec Owens, who prior to joining the ICO had been a [[Merseyside Police]] [[Inspector]]; and [[Operation Glade]], conducted by the Metropolitan Police.<ref name=Whatprice/>

The ICO later obtained search warrants for the Hampshire office of a private detective Steve Whittamore.<ref name=Guardian21Sept>{{cite news |title=Newspapers used me as fall guy, says convicted private eye |author=James Robinson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/sep/21/newspapers-fall-guy-steve-whittamore |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 September 2010 |accessdateaccess-date=13 September 2011 |location=London}}</ref> A huge cache of documents revealed, in precise detail, a network of police and public employees illegally selling personal information obtained from government computer systems. The personal information that Whittamore obtained from his network was passed on to journalists working for various newspapers, including the ''[[News of the World]]'', the ''[[Sunday Times]]'', the ''[[The Observer|Observer]]'', the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' and the ''[[Daily Mirror]]''.<ref name=Guardian21Sept/> At least 305 different reporters have been identified as customers of the network.<ref>{{cite news |title=Read all about it: The secret dossier of lawbreaking that spells trouble for Rupert Murdoch...and David Cameron |author=Brian Brady and James Hanning |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/read-all-about-it-the-secret-dossier-of-lawbreaking-that-spells-trouble-for-rupert-murdochand-david-cameron-2077170.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/read-all-about-it-the-secret-dossier-of-lawbreaking-that-spells-trouble-for-rupert-murdochand-david-cameron-2077170.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Independent on Sunday |date=12 September 2010 |accessdateaccess-date=13 September 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

In February 2004, four suspects pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit misconduct in public office: Whittamore and Boyall, retired police officer Alan King, and Paul Marshall, a police communications officer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jonathan Rees: private investigator who ran empire of tabloid corruption |author=Nick Davies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/mar/11/jonathan-rees-private-investigator-tabloid |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 March 2011 |accessdateaccess-date=13 September 2011 |location=London}}</ref> The four were given [[conditional discharge]]s. Other members of Whittamore's network were due to stand trial but the case collapsed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Operation Motorman: the full story revealed |author=Nick Davies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/aug/31/press-privacy-information-commmissioner |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 August 2009 |accessdateaccess-date=13 September 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

In September 2011, former policeman Alec Owens, the original lead investigator of Operation Motorman, criticised the senior management of the ICO for the way in which the investigation was handled. He stated that investigators were prohibited from interviewing journalists and alleged that this was because the management "were frightened". He said that had the team been allowed to question journalists the use of phone hacking might have been uncovered earlier.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exposed after eight years: a private eye's dirty work for Fleet Street |authorurl=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exposed-after-eight-years-a-private-eyes-dirty-work-for-fleet-street-2354360.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exposed-after-eight-years-a-private-eyes-dirty-work-for-fleet-street-2354360.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Independent |date=14 September 2011 |accessdateaccess-date=14 September 2011 |location=London |first1=Ian |last1=Burrell |first2=Mark |last2=Olden}}</ref> In November 2011, just a few days before Owens was due to give evidence to the [[Leveson Inquiry]], his home was raided under warrant by [[Cheshire Police]]. Before leaving under police caution for an interview at [[Wilmslow]] police station, Owens informed [[Brian Leveson|Lord Leveson]] by phone of the raid.<ref>{{citecitation newsneeded| url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063610/Leveson-inquiry-News-World-journalists-computers-grinder.html | location=London | work=Daily Mail | title=News of the World journalists' computers were destroyed by 'putting them through a grinder and smashing them up' | date=19April November 20112020}}</ref>

On 9 April 2012, right-wing [[political]] [[blog]]gerblogger [[Paul Staines]] releasedpublished theinformation "Blueon Book" section from the Operation Motorman files, coveringover 1,028000 [[News International]] relatedrequests entriesto outWhittamore offrom athe totalOperation ofMotorman 17,000files.<ref name='Fawkes'>{{cite webnews|url=httphttps://order-orderwww.theguardian.com/media/2012/04apr/10/britainsoperation-biggestmotorman-establishmentguido-cover-up-conspiracy-thousands-of-crimes-committed-by-over-300-journalists-protected-from-exposure-by-a-judge-and-newspaper-editors/fawkes|work=The Guardian|title=Operation Motorman: Britain'sGuido BiggestFawkes under Establishmentfire Cover-Upover publication of files|publisherlast=Order OrderHalliday|accessdatefirst=2012-04-09Josh|date=10 April 2012-04-09}}</ref> The day before the files were released ''[[The Guardian]]s''' "Media Monkey" column had reported rumours that Staines was going to release the files, and was preparing to fly to Ireland to escape Britishthe jurisdiction of the [[English courts]].<ref name="GuardApr12">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2012/apr/08/media-monkey-diary?newsfeed=true|title=Media Monkey: Sands slow to start at Standard, and what has Samantha Brick been up to?|publisherwork=The Guardian|accessdateaccess-date=2012-04-09|date=2012-04-08}}</ref>

* [[News media phone hacking scandal#Early investigations (1990s-20051990s–2005)]]