Former Murdoch reporter accused of hacking computer
Government (Foreign) // Telecommunications // UK
The ex-Sun journalist also is charged with handling a stolen mobile phone, Register reports. Ben Ashford had worked on Rupert Murdoch's tabloid for four years, starting in 2006.
The charge sheet alleges that:
Between 11/10/09 and 16/10/09 Ben Ashford possessed criminal property, namely a mobile telephone belonging to Emma Murray, knowing or suspecting it to constitute a person's benefit from criminal conduct.
And:
Between 11/10/09 and 16/10/09 Ben Ashford caused a computer to perform a function with intent to secure unauthorized access to a program or data held in a computer, knowing that such access was unauthorized.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 15.
Reuters explains that Ashford is the first person to be charged under "Operation Tuleta", a probe into alleged computer hacking and other privacy breaches that is running in tandem with other police inquiries into claims of phone hacking and bribing public officials. Dozens of staff from the British newspaper arm of Murdoch's media empire have been arrested over the latter allegations, while 21 people have been held as part of Tuleta.
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