CYBER & INTERNET CRIME

We have vast experience of defending those accused of cyber crime & internet crime. Our dedicated team has the technical, legal and tactical experience to advise you at every stage of your case. Whether you are facing a criminal investigation or prosecution or have found yourself the target of such activity and need to take control of the situation, we can help.

We have access to a wide variety of hardware and software experts who can be called to give expert evidence in your favour. We have the resources and the skill to handle substantial volumes of evidence which is likely to be served in your case.

We are meticulous in ensuring the evidence produced has been seized and retained illegally and if not we will challenge the admissibility and use of this evidence in court.

Our team will scrutinise the evidence and identify weaknesses in the prosecution’s case and will do it without compromise.

We specialise in:

• Cyber stalking,
• Harassment and malicious communications,
• Possession/downloading of indecent images of children,
• Sextortion and revenge porn,
• Cyber fraud and theft offences,
• Online fraud and identity theft,
• Cyber hacking and extradition
• Offences under the Data Protection Act 1998

If you find yourself accused of a computer-based offence, you require a legal team with the skills and experience to advise you on what can be technically complex issues of law. Above all, you need advice from lawyers with practical experience of advising in this area and who pride themselves on taking a fearless and innovative approach to every case.

Over the course of the last year, we have advised:

• Individuals accused of accessing and disclosing confidential information held on their employers’ systems
• Individuals accused of downloading / possessing indecent images of children
• Individuals investigated for disseminating malicious communications
• Professionals who may have incurred liability under the Data Protection Act for security breaches
• Police Officers who were accused of breaching the Data Protection Act
• Those accused of ‘sextortion’ or ‘revenge porn’
• Those accused of cyber hacking and facing extradition

WHAT IS CYBER CRIME?

According to INTERPOL cybercrime is a fast-growing area of crime. They say “More and more criminals are exploiting the speed, convenience and anonymity of the Internet to commit a diverse range of criminal activities that know no borders, either physical or virtual, cause serious harm and pose very real threats to victims worldwide.”

Cyber crime/Internet Crime is any criminal activity carried out using computers and/or the internet. It falls into two broad categories:

i) There are offences where a computer is the object of the activity. These include activity such as hacking, phishing, spamming, deployment of viruses and denial of service attacks.

ii) Secondly, there are offences where a computer is the tool by which the activity is carried out. Many substantive offences are unrelated to computers or the internet but technology is being used in their commission. Obvious examples include fraud, possession / dissemination of indecent images of children, identity theft, illegal downloads, cyber stalking and hate crimes.

iii) Over recent years there has been an increasing obsession with computer hacking which has led to notorious extraditions to the USA where the authorities often claim jurisdiction. If extradited and convicted individuals can face the prospect of horrifically long prison sentences. What you require if facing such allegations is a team of lawyers who understand that not all hacking is illegal or carried out with the wrong intentions, in the end it is for the prosecution to prove its case.

In many cases, there is a grey area between freedom of expression and abusive communications. In others, most notably hacking cases, there are legitimate differences in opinion as to what constitutes unlawful activity.

The technical nature of some of these offences may mean that private individuals and companies may be unwittingly caught up in an investigation without realising that their actions have given rise to potential criminal liability.

Our experience in this field is unrivalled. This expertise is complemented by our specialist forensic experts and IT team, Our team can image and examine all forms of hardware to uncover evidence that will assist your defence and we can advise on what steps should be taken throughout an investigation into alleged computer related offences from Computer Misuse Act offences, Fraud Act offences to allegations of sexual crime and ‘cloning’ investigations.

Whatever the allegation against you, whether you are facing a police interview, or have been charged with an offence it is of paramount importance that you contact us immediately.

The sooner you engage your legal team the better your chances of success, please contact us to see how we can help.