UK DoD members convicted
p2pnet.net News:- “When he gave evidence at his own trial Steven Dowd certainly did not appear to be a master criminal. Crippled by a debilitating spinal condition called ankylosing spondylitis and stricken with severe psoriasis, the unemployed father-of-two from Merseyside appeared to be a harmless computer buff.”
That’s how the BBC kicked off its story on the conviction of Dowd, 39, and Alex Bell, 29, who, according to prosecutor Bruce Houlder, saw themselves as, “latter-day Robin Hoods, stealing from the rich to give to the poor”.
The two, members of the now defunct DrinkorDie group, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud between 1997 and 2001.
Although Dowd and Bell didn’t get involved with software “piracy” [read warez] to make money, “in reality it is a cover for fraud,” said Houlder.
Dowd downloaded hundreds of pieces of software and freely admitted to being a “geek” who developed a love of computers, and software in particular, after a friend lent him a notebook computer during a long stay in hospital in 1993,” says the BBC.
“I would say I was a computer addict … I used it 24 hours a day. It was my life and to be honest it still is,” he said.
“I looked at software like some people look at art. I have an appreciation for software and the way it’s written
Dowd denied being involved in software piracy and said he’d never downloaded anything for personal gain.
He said he joined DoD in 2000 after being invited by a member called Andrew Eardley, who used the internet nickname Maverick.
He told the court DoD was a private club with only about 30 members and cracked software was not available to outsiders, and that members were “sensible, older individuals” and not teenage “script kiddies”.
“As I understand it the only illegal thing is if you are selling it and we were not,” the BBC has him saying.
“Nobody I ever knew at DOD ever sold a single piece of software.”
Sources close to the defence team question why the pair were tried for conspiracy offences rather than offences against the Copyright Act which would have resulted in a far less complex and expensive prosecution, says The Register’s John Leydon, adding:
“Judge Paul Focke remanded the two men on bail until 5 May when they are due to be sentenced along with two other men, Andrew Eardley, 36, an IT manager at a Staffordshire school, and London IT worker Mark Vent, 30, who pleaded guilty to related software piracy offences last year.”
National US enforcement agencies, in effect acting for the movie studio cartel, have muscled Australia into allowing them to extradite another DoD member, Australian citizen Hugh Griffiths.
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See:-
BBC – Pirate or harmless computer buff?, March 16, 2005
DrinkorDie – UK DrinkorDie members convicted of software piracy, March 17, 2005
The Register - Libel suit against Washington Post could have major impact on free expression, March 11, 2005
muscled Australia – DrinkorDie extradition: II, p2pnet, March 14, 2005
March 17th, 2005 at 8:01 pm
so,how were they charged with fraud?
March 18th, 2005 at 3:21 am
This man has no shame
March 18th, 2005 at 3:54 pm
From the BBC:
“The trial heard that Bell, who worked in the IT department of Morgan Stanley bank, supplied the details of several credit cards – unbeknown to the card holders – which were passed on to other members of DOD for use in acquiring software. In one case a stolen card was used to supply software worth $4,000 (£2,200). “
March 22nd, 2005 at 1:36 am
*Sources close to the defence team question why the pair were tried for conspiracy offences rather than offences against the Copyright Act which would have resulted in a far less complex and expensive prosecution, says The Register’s John Leydon*
wonder how much it all cost, to convict people who even the prosecution say made no money?
May 7th, 2005 at 12:10 am
50 million uk pounds