Operation Motorman (ICO investigation)
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Operation Motorman was a 2003 investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office into allegations of offences under the Data Protection Act by the British press.[1][2][3]
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, 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 Operation Glade, conducted by the Metropolitan Police.
The ICO later obtained search warrants for the Hampshire office of a private detective Steve Whittamore.[4] 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. This information was passed on to journalists working for various newspapers including the News of the World, the Sunday Times, the Observer, the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror.[4] At least 305 different reporters have been identified as customers of the network.[5]
In February 2004, four suspects plead guilty to conspiring to commit misconduct in public office: Wittamore and Boyall, retired police officer Alan King, and Paul Marshall, a police communications officer. The four were given conditional discharges. Other members of Whittamore's network were due to stand trial but the case collapsed.[6]
References
- ^ Rachel McAthy (February 4th, 2011). "Observer seeks to distinguish 'Operation Motorman' from the phone-hacking scandal". journalism.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Laura Tyler and Phil Hartley (8 March 2011). "Fleet Street phone-hacking scandal: a legal perspective". The In-House Lawyer. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ^ "What Price Privacy?". Information Commissioner's Office. 10 May 2006. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ^ a b James Robinson (21 September 2010). "Newspapers used me as fall guy, says convicted private eye". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ Brian Brady and James Hanning (12 September 2010). "Read all about it: The secret dossier of lawbreaking that spells trouble for Rupert Murdoch...and David Cameron". The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ Nick Davies (31 August 2009). "Operation Motorman: the full story revealed". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
See also
- Operation Weeting
- Operation Tuleta
- Operation Elveden
- Operation Rubicon
- Operation Glade
- News International phone hacking scandal
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