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Bolton Crown Court heard details of an alleged “conspiracy” to steal personal data from garages for illegal sale
Two businessmen have gone on trial accused of being involved in a conspiracy to steal the private details of drivers who had been in crashes.
Thomas Daly and Craig Cornick, both from Macclesfield, have gone on trial for their alleged roles in the operation.
Daly, 35, of London Road, Macclesfield, and and Cornick, 39, of Heybridge Lane, have been charged with two counts for alleged offences dating between December 1 2014 and November 30 2017.
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Both defendants deny the first charge of conspiracy to access computer systems without authority, with Cornick also denying a second count of conspiracy to unlawfully obtain personal data.
Daly previously pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to unlawfully obtain personal data.
A number of other individuals have also pleaded guilty to similar charges in relation to the alleged conspiracy, prosecutor Rick Holland told the hearing at at Bolton Crown Court on Thursday (April 10).
The prosecution alleged that companies based in Cheshire associated with the defendants, which have since been dissolved, worked with individuals who would exploit an IT system used in operating car repair shops.
Mr Holland said the alleged illegal activity was carried out in addition to the lawful business carried out by the companies.
He said “their legitimate activities enabled them to disguise” the alleged illegal activity.
Laying out the prosecution case to the jury and Judge Nicholas Clarke KC, Mr Holland explained the nature of the operation.
It included around 400 garages in locations stretching across England and Wales which used an IT system called Autoflow.
The unwitting garages would frequently repair cars that had been involved in car crashes.
This required them to handle sensitive data including the personal details of those who had been involved in such collisions.
It was this data, Mr Holland said, which was of potential value to an illicit market as it could be sold on to parties such as claims management companies and solicitors’ firms, the court heard.
These parties could then use that data to trace individuals who may be considering a personal injury claim and then market their services to them or attempt to persuade them to open such a claim.
Mr Holland said that the data was obtained by the “hacking of garage computer systems” which would hold personal information about motorists whose vehicles that garage was repairing.
This could include someone’s name, address, and contact details, as well as information about their insurance policy and the nature of the accident the vehicle had been involved in.
Charges were brought after one of the garages using the Autoflow system received a number of complaints from customers about cold calls from people asking if they wanted to pursue a personal injury claim.
The court heard that the garage had then planted dummy data in their files.
An investigation from the Information Commissioner’s Office led to warrants being carried out at addresses of businesses connected to the conspiracy.
Data matching that planted by the garage was subsequently found on devices recovered in these warrants.
In court, Daly is represented by Mr Alistair Reid, while Cornick is represented by Mr Richard Wormald KC and Mr Ryan Dowding.
The trial continues.
Published: 2025-04-10 18:02:16 | Author: [email protected] (Kit Roberts) | Source: MEN – News
Link: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Tags: #Businessmen #trial #alleged #role #scheme #steal #crash #victims #details
