XPUM04@prime-a.central-services.umist.ac.uk (Anthony Appleyard) (06/08/90)
>From a UK newspaper called 'The Daily Telegraph', Friday 8 June 1990:-
['Mad Hacker' jailed for computer war]
A computer operator who called himself "The Mad Hacker" became the first in
Britain to be jailed for the offence yesterday. Nicholas Whiteley, 21, of
Enfield, north London, was sentenced to 4 months with a further 8 months
suspended for criminally damaging computer disks and wreaking havoc on
university systems. Whiteley, who, it was said, was driven by a desire top
become Britain's top hacker, wept in the dock and held his hands to his
face as he walked to the cells to begin his sentence.
Judge Geoffrey Rivlin, QC, described him as "very malicious and arrogant",
and told him: "Anyone minded to behave in this way must be deterred from
doing so.".
Whiteley declared war on computer experts, using a computer in his bedroom
to swamp university computers with masses of useless material including
threats and boasts about his brilliance. One said: "Don't mess with me
because I am extremely nutty.".
He was found guilty last month of 4 charges of causing damage to magnetic
disks in mainframe computers at the universities of London, Bath, and Hull.
The judge said some of the computers stored important and confidential data
relating to medical and scientific research.
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{A.Appleyard} (email: APPLEYARD@UK.AC.UMIST), Fri, 08 Jun 90 08:58:20 BST