LulzSec hackers handed jail time
Three members of the hacker group will see prison, the youngest given a suspended sentence
Four members of the hacker group LulzSec were sentenced to jail terms at a London court yesterday.
The most severe punishments were handed to Ryan Cleary, 23, who was given 32 months in prison, and Ryan Ackroyd, 26, who was sentenced to 30 months. Jake Davis, 20, will serve a 2 year jail term, while the youngest of the four, Mustafa Al-Bassam, 17, received a 2 year suspended sentence.
All four members had submitted a plea of guilty to a number of charges prior to the verdict. Cleary has also pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, with a separate trial scheduled for later in the year.
"After initially being alerted by the FBI to criminal activity on British soil, we...quickly began unpicking LulzSec, who had been running riot," said detective superintendent Charlie McMurdie, quoted by Reuters.
"Today's convictions should serve as a deterrent to others who use the internet to commit cyber-attacks."
LulzSec targeted a number of companies while active, but among the most successful attacks was on Sony. It is estimated that LulzSec's activities cost the company more than $20 million.