Seaham man charged on suspicion of hacking into police websites

A man is due to appear before magistrates charged with hacking into a number of corporate websites, including a police force's.

By The Newsroom

Published 14th Apr 2016, 11:28 BST

Updated 14th Apr 2016, 11:42 BST

The police investigation was sparked after a series of websites were hacked.

This morning officers from the cyber crime unit based in North East Regional Special Operations Unit (NERSOU) charged 22-year-old Paul Dixon, from The Avenue, Deneside, Seaham, with offences under the Computer Misuse Act.

He has been charged with five offences relating to attacks against various websites, including Durham Constabulary, Police Scotland and British Airways in mid-late October 2014.

Detective Sergeant Rachel Lewis, from the cyber crime unit at Durham Constabulary, said “The impact of the attacks disrupted the level of services provided to the public for significant periods of time and also caused a loss of revenue to the businesses affected.”

Dixon has been bailed to attend South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, May 17.