A former employee of Lex Autolease Ltd who unlawfully accessed personal data records of 551 Lex Autolease customers relating to road traffic accidents has been prosecuted and fined under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998, by the Information Commissioner’s Office. The employee accessed the records on his employer's computer and then emailed them to his private email address, which he then sold to a third party as personal leads.
The defendant pleaded guilty to two charges under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998 at Manchester Magistrates' Court, and was fined £500 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £364 and a £25 victim surcharge.