Credit card hacker avoids jail

A COMPUTER hacker who discovered a way to obtain credit card details online avoided being sent to prison today.

Richard Beard, 24, was 'like a child at Christmas' after finding out how to commit the scam, Gloucester Crown Court heard.

At an earlier hearing, Judge Jamie Tabor QC ruled that the method Beard and his accomplice, 28-year-old Alan McNeil, used should remain secret to stop others.

Beard, of Bedford Street, Gloucester, and McNeil, of Westgate Street, Gloucester, admitted conspiracy to obtain property by deception.

McNeil was sentenced to a two-year community rehabilitation order at a hearing in December last year. Beard's case was adjourned until today.Prosecutor Don Tait said: 'This is an internet hacking case of obtaining goods using fraudulently obtained credit card details.'

He said the amount of property bought using the credit card details could have been up to £5,000.

Mr Tait said: 'Certainly, on my calculation in relation to the allegation, the evidence is it was about £1,500. But there was a lot of other property which was found in Beard's possession for which no loser has been formally identified to indicate the financial loss. So it is almost impossible to work it out, but we would not suggest it was any more than about £5,000.'

Anjali Gohil, defending, said Beard had a 'difficult background' and had turned to computers as his life. She said Beard was currently unemployed, but Judge Tabor said he was 'eminently' employable.

The judge said: 'If he is clever enough to perpetrate this fraud, he is clever enough to get a job.'

Judge Tabor ordered Beard to do 180 hours community punishment and pay £500 compensation. The court heard Beard had already saved £100 to start paying the compensation.Judge Tabor told Beard: 'You could have had no regrets if you were sent to prison for what you did.

'Once you discovered how to obtain this money you were like a child at Christmas and you went on and on obtaining various goods, some of which I suspect were of very little use to you.'

The judge warned Beard not to commit any more computer crimes. He said: 'I suspect there will be a grave temptation to go back ant start using the internet in an unlawful way again. You should not.'