UK DrinkorDie court case
p2pnet.net News:- Two members of the former DrinkorDie software group see themselves as “latter-day Robin Hoods“, a UK court has been told.
Steven Dowd, 39, of Sandpiper Close, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, and Alex Bell, 29, of Chafford Hundred, Essex, deny conspiracy to defraud, says a BBC story, going on:
“Bruce Houlder QC, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey on Tuesday that the pair were part of an international group. He said that their conspiracy involved ‘cracking software protection.
“They saw themselves as stealing from rich companies like Microsoft, to give to the poor by cloning software programmes and putting them on the internet.”
Over in Australia …
DrinkorDie member Hew Raymond Griffiths is involved in an apparently endless court case involving the group, which was targetted by the US Department of Justice. Griffiths ended up in an Aussie nick. So for him, is it all over bar the shouting? Not according to an Australian p2pnet reader who in September pointed out:
“In the interests of accurate facts: The Drinkordie case isn’t over in Australia yet. The next appeal hearing is yet to take place, and it’s very rare for a judge’s decision to be given on the same day as the appeal hearing.
“I’m not sure where the author got the notion that the case is over, but a quick look at the Website of the Federal Court of Australia would set things straight. Here’s the link …the listing for USA vs Griffiths is down towards the bottom.
“The second mistake is about modchips. Their legal status here was decided by a High Court of Australia decision, given in favour of Sony, which ruled that modchips aren’t legal. The competition watchdog here, the ACCC, was trying to argue in favour of modchips, but lost. Full link to the court’s decision here.”
Meanwhile, back in the UK, Bells and Dowd are alleged to be part of the UK end of, “an international internet group called DrinkorDie, which had a reputation for cracking complex and expensive programmes,” says the Beeb, adding:
“A number of [DoD] members in the UK and the US had pleaded guilty to ‘cracking,’ software protection to allow games and programmes to be downloaded, the court heard.”
It has Houlder saying Bells and Dowd, “may see themselves as latter-day Robin Hoods, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but in reality it is a cover for fraud.”
The case continues.
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See:-
Robin Hoods – Pair accused of cracking software, BBCÂ Online News, October 19, 2004
Over in Australia – Thin End of the Wedge, p2pnet, September 9, 2004
November 17th, 2004 at 10:47 pm
THE trial of a Newton man accused of playing a part in an
international software piracy ring continued this week. London’s
Old Bailey heard from another former gang member-turned-informer on
Tuesday who gave evidence against Steve Dowd, 39, of Sandpiper
Close, Newton, and a second man, Alex Bell, 29,of Plymouth Road,
Essex, for their alleged part in a computer hackers group, known as
‘Drink or Die’. Latest fbi informer, James Cudney,aka (bcr8tive)
gave evidence via a video link from Washington to explain the inner
workings of ‘Drink or Die’. The court heard how members adopted
code names and Mr Cudney said he recruited ‘Maverick’ who in turn
introduced ‘Tim’, whom the prosecution claims to be Dowd. Dowd’s
barrister Timothy King QC asked Mr Cudney: “Was it part of your
scheme to bring people in order to present an attractive package to
the authorities?”Mr Cudney denied the claim.
James Cudney,aka (bcr8tive) of the ‘Drink or Die’ group, was
accused by the defence of ‘masquerading’ as other crackers before
being recruited by the American authorities.he was a member of
zeraw grp from 1995-1997,
which in case helped him crack in to the high end of the scene for
the fbi.But Cudney, giving evidence for the prosecution on Tuesday,
denied the defence claims.London’s Old Bailey heard how Steven Dowd,
39, of Sandpiper Close, Newton, and Alex Bell, 29, of Chafford
Hundred, Essex, claimed that they had been set up by senior members
of the ‘Drink or Die’ hackers group on Internet chatrooms.It is
claimed that Dowd, known as Tim, and Bell, known as Mr 2940, both
talked about their activities in the gang during online meetings.
But Cudney,aka (bcr8tive) giving evidence for the prosecution on Tuesday, denied
the defence claims.
l The trial continues.
November 19th, 2004 at 11:50 am
THE trial of a Newton man accused of playing a part in an
international software piracy ring continued this week. London’s
Old Bailey heard from another former gang member-turned-informer on
Tuesday who gave evidence against Steve Dowd, 39, of Sandpiper
Close, Newton, and a second man, Alex Bell, 29,of Plymouth Road,
Essex, for their alleged part in a computer hackers group, known as
‘Drink or Die’. Latest fbi informer, James Cudney,aka (bcr8tive)
gave evidence via a video link from Washington to explain the inner
workings of ‘Drink or Die’. The court heard how members adopted
code names and Mr Cudney said he recruited ‘Maverick’ who in turn
introduced ‘Tim’, whom the prosecution claims to be Dowd. Dowd’s
barrister Timothy King QC asked Mr Cudney: “Was it part of your
scheme to bring people in order to present an attractive package to
the authorities?”Mr Cudney denied the claim.
James Cudney,aka (bcr8tive) of the ‘Drink or Die’ group, was
accused by the defence of ‘masquerading’ as other crackers before
being recruited by the American authorities.he was a member of
zeraw grp from 1995-1997,
which in case helped him crack in to the high end of the scene for
the fbi.But Cudney, giving evidence for the prosecution on Tuesday,
denied the defence claims.London’s Old Bailey heard how Steven Dowd,
39, of Sandpiper Close, Newton, and Alex Bell, 29, of Chafford
Hundred, Essex, claimed that they had been set up by senior members
of the ‘Drink or Die’ hackers group on Internet chatrooms.It is
claimed that Dowd, known as Tim, and Bell, known as Mr 2940, both
talked about their activities in the gang during online meetings.
But Cudney,aka (bcr8tive) giving evidence for the prosecution on Tuesday, denied
the defence claims.
November 19th, 2004 at 11:51 am
THE trial of a Newton man accused of playing a part in an
international software piracy ring continued this week. London’s
Old Bailey heard from another former gang member-turned-informer on
Tuesday who gave evidence against Steve Dowd, 39, of Sandpiper
Close, Newton, and a second man, Alex Bell, 29,of Plymouth Road,
Essex, for their alleged part in a computer hackers group, known as
‘Drink or Die’. Latest fbi informer, James Cudney,aka (bcr8tive)
gave evidence via a video link from Washington to explain the inner
workings of ‘Drink or Die’. The court heard how members adopted
code names and Mr Cudney said he recruited ‘Maverick’ who in turn
introduced ‘Tim’, whom the prosecution claims to be Dowd. Dowd’s
barrister Timothy King QC asked Mr Cudney: “Was it part of your
scheme to bring people in order to present an attractive package to
the authorities?”Mr Cudney denied the claim.
James Cudney,aka (bcr8tive) of the ‘Drink or Die’ group, was
accused by the defence of ‘masquerading’ as other crackers before
being recruited by the American authorities.he was a member of
zeraw grp from 1995-1997,
which in case helped him crack in to the high end of the scene for
the fbi.But Cudney, giving evidence for the prosecution on Tuesday,
denied the defence claims.London’s Old Bailey heard how Steven Dowd,
39, of Sandpiper Close, Newton, and Alex Bell, 29, of Chafford
Hundred, Essex, claimed that they had been set up by senior members
of the ‘Drink or Die’ hackers group on Internet chatrooms.It is
claimed that Dowd, known as Tim, and Bell, known as Mr 2940, both
talked about their activities in the gang during online meetings.
But Cudney,aka (bcr8tive) giving evidence for the prosecution on Tuesday, denied
the defence claims.
March 16th, 2005 at 5:19 pm
Steven Dowd, 39, of Sandpiper Close, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, and Alex Bell, 29, of Chafford Hundred, Essex,
both found guilty today at 17.00hrs,in londons old bailey.
pre-sentance will take place and both men will report back to londons old bailey in 4 weeks for sentance.