Retail boss stole nude pictures

The boss of a branch of mobile phone chain Get Connected has been sentenced for stealing data contained on customers’ phones – including nude pictures of women – and uploading it to his own computer.
Sales manager Lee Hawkes, of Swansea, downloaded dozens of images of two women who took their mobile phones for repairs at his shop in Brecon, Powys.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard that Hawkes had told a colleague that it was an industry-wide practice that was “normal behaviour”. But other staff were said to be “gobsmacked” and alerted the police.
When police raided the shop they found 48 images of a woman in her 20s and a further 135 sexually explicit images of a woman in her 30s.
Rachel Knight, prosecuting, said: “Hawkes persuaded the first woman to invest in a new phone. She was concerned about losing personal information on it and he offered to assist her. When Hawkes saw it contained very personal, naked and explicit pictures of her. He put the images into his own phone before transferring them on to his computer.”
Hawkes was jailed for three months after admitting two counts of unauthorised access of data and for four months for an offence of voyeurism, suspended for 12 months. He will also be placed on the sex offenders’ register.
After the hearing, PC Gareth Tanswell, who investigated the case, said: “People’s mobiles carry a vast amount of personal data and images these days, and they expect to be able to trust those that they give access to them for repair, maintenance or advice purposes.
“If anyone has any concerns or suspects that someone has accessed and used their data and images without their consent they should contact police who will investigate thoroughly.”