A 28-year-old man accused of hacking into a computer parking system and making a gain for himself and others has become the first person to be charged under new anti-computer-crime legislation.
David Young, from Cois na hAbhann, Cloyne, Co Cork, was charged with intentionally accessing an information system without lawful authority or reasonable excuse for doing so by infringing a security measure.
The offence, which Mr Young is alleged to have committed between September 4th and 5th, 2018, is contrary to section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Act, 2017.
He was also charged with intentionally hindering or interrupting the functioning of an information system at the Vodafone Data Centre at Clonshaugh Business and Technology Park, Dublin 17.
The offence, which allegedly involved altering data between May 22nd and September 3rd, 2018, is contrary to section 3 of the Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Act, 2017.
The two charges were among a total of nine offences with which Mr Young was charged on Monday at Cork District Court by officers from the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau.
He was also charged with operating a computer with the intention of making a gain for himself and others and causing a loss to others in Cork city between May 20th, 2018, and September 9th, 2018.
And he was charged with making a demand with menaces by threatening to release information from 12,000 accounts of ParkMagic Mobile Solutions customers to make a gain for himself.
This offence, which the State alleges happened on September 5th, 2019, at an unknown location in Cork, is contrary to section 17 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act, 1994.
Mr Young was also charged with five counts of dishonestly obtaining parking credit, totalling €270, between May 28th, 2018, and August 17th, 2018, contrary to section 4 of the same legislation.
Five counts
Mr Young’s mother, Cathryn Young (54), of Ashford, Healy’s Bridge, Carrigrohane, Co Cork, was charged with a total of five counts of dishonestly obtaining parking credit, totalling €212.
The five offences, which are alleged to have happened in Cork city between June 11th and August 24th, 2018, are all contrary to section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act.
A third accused, Conor Lydon (27), of Rineen, Cork Road, Carrigaline, Co Cork, was also charged with five counts of dishonestly obtaining parking credit, totalling €194.
The five offences are alleged to have happened in Cork city between June 5th and August 24th, 2018.
Det Paul Fitzpatrick of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in respect of all three accused and said none of them made any replies to the charges.
Sgt Pat Lyons said the DPP had directed that Mr Young should be tried on indictment before a judge and jury at circuit court level but gardaí had no objection to Mr Young being remanded on bail.
Sgt Lyons said the DPP had directed that both Ms Young and Mr Lydon would be dealt with on a summary basis at district court level, and he again said that gardaí had no objection to either getting bail.
Defence solicitor for both Mr Young and Ms Young Frank Buttimer said that it might help to speed up the case if he could obtain a precis from gardaí of the State’s case against both his clients.
Sgt Lyons promised that investigating gardaí would furnish Mr Buttimer with a precis of the evidence against both his clients.
Judge Olann Kelleher adjourned the case against both Youngs until February 22nd and he also remanded Mr Lydon to that date after Mr Lydon’s solicitor, Colm O’Rourke, said it was acceptable to him.
