Council worker spared prison after four-day data-snooping spree

Herefordshire employee handed suspended sentence for breach of Computer Misuse Act

A council worker who "abused" his position to unlawfully access "highly sensitive" personal records of family members and other people known to him has received a suspended sentence after admitting to violating the Computer Misuse Act (CMA).

Geoffrey Smith, 31, from Ledbury, was a new Herefordshire Council employee working in the Children and Young People directorate.

Over a four-day period, he accessed roughly 490 records and downloaded 94 documents relating to family members and "families known to him." This included data on adults and children, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said.

The data accessed included "highly sensitive material" such as medical records, social worker reports, and child and family assessments, the watchdog said.

Smith pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 1 of the CMA 1990 relating to "unlawful accessing of personal data held on computers." He was sentenced...

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