Pair charged with BNP list breach

Due in court next month

Two people have today been charged with offences under the Data Protection Act for leaking the BNP's membership list last year.

The pair will appear before magistrates in Nottingham on 1 September, following a joint investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police and the Information Commissioner's Office.

They were arrested in December after a file containing details including names, occupations and addresses of more than 10,000 members of the far right party was released by an anti-fascist group and quickly spread online.

At the time BNP leader Nick Griffin claimed the leak was a deliberate attempt to damage the party by disgruntled former members. He lodged a criminal complaint with Dyfed-Powys Police, his local force.

Meanwhile net-savvy opponents used the data to map support for the BNP and uploaded it to Wikileaks, beyond the reach of a court injunction banning its publication. ®