£200 fine for leaking BNP member list
A DISENCHANTED BNP officer who leaked details of the party’s members on to the internet walked free from court with a £200 fine yesterday.
Former party security officer Matthew Single left many members of the Far-right group fearing for their safety after their names, addresses and occupations were made public.
Teachers, lawyers, doctors, churchmen and a police officer were among those affected, Nottingham magistrates’ court heard.
The leak resulted in threatening letters and phone calls, an arson attack and swastikas being daubed on walls.
Jobless Single, 37, had released the details of 12,000 members in December 2008 after he was expelled from the party for setting up a dissident internet blog.
District judge John Stobart said Graham had opened a “Pandora’s Box”, adding: “Some will say that members of this organisation should not be protected by the law.
“They should, however, be able to expect that officers of an organisation should not abuse any information that might be provided to them.”
Single, whose address has been withheld by a court order, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 55 of the Data Protection Act. He was ordered to pay £100 in costs. His wife was also accused but charges against her were dropped.