>
> The Sun (to-day) has another "data protection act" to blame story - read from "Battered boss data farce"
>
By the way, our UPDATE sessions in London, Manchester and Glasgow (this month) will be dealing with this case, B Gas and Humberside as well as the fall-out from the Durant and Lord cases. E-mail me if you want details of these sessions and I will send them to you.
> C
>
>
> Battered boss data farce
>
> By MIKE SULLIVAN
> Crime Editor
>
> A CHEMIST beaten unconscious in his shop did his own detective work to nail the thug > -> but cops implied HE had broken the law.
>
> Brian Conn had managed to take the yob> '> s picture with a disposable camera during the raid.
>
> Then he got a local school to put a name to the picture.
>
> Finally he found that the lad had once been a customer at his own pharmacy > -> and called up his address on the shop computer.
>
> Armed with all the information the police could possibly need, he rang them, only for the station to take 40 minutes to answer.
>
> Astonishingly, when at last he got through, a woman officer in the control room said she could not take the details as they may breach the Data Protection Act.
>
>
>
> Caught on film ... shopkeeper's snap of shop thug
>
>
> This supposedly makes it illegal to pass on information obtained from a computer.
>
> That was three weeks ago > -> and the thug is STILL on the loose.
>
> Shocked Mr Conn, 40, said yesterday: > "> I phoned the police expecting them to be grateful.
>
> "> But they made me feel like I had done something wrong. I felt dirty for helping.> ">
>
> And the dad of two compared that response to one days earlier when he was caught driving in a bus lane.
>
> He said: > "> I had a £50 fine. It took a mere three minutes to get through and pay.
>
> "> Unless there is a fine to be had from a speed camera the police are not interested in hearing from you.> ">
>
> Mr Conn> '> s ordeal started when a gang burst into his shop in Chadwell Heath, Essex.
>
> They were shouting and fighting among themselves. One then hurled a case of DVDs at the pharmacist.
>
> Mr Conn grabbed the attacker, hoping to hold on to him until cops arrived.
>
> He also snatched the camera from a display and snapped the thugs. But they punched him to the ground and knocked him unconscious.
>
> The gang fled and Mr Conn dialled 999 when he came round > -> with police arriving an hour after the assault.
>
> The victim said officers did not take a written statement but said they would look out for the suspects. Next day Mr Conn developed his film and a teacher recognised the yob as a 19-year-old local.
>
> Armed with a name, he searched his pharmacy> '> s computer records and discovered the thug> '> s address.
>
> Mr Conn, from North London, said: > "> When I eventually got to the control room the officer seemed surprised.
>
> "> She told me she couldn> '> t possibly accept the information because it breached the Data Protection Act and it could affect the ability of the police to get a prosecution.
>
> "> Her attitude was very shirty. I felt like I was doing wrong > -> when I was the one who had been beaten unconscious.> ">
>
> The Metropolitan Police say the yob has not been arrested because they have not been able to take a written statement from Mr Conn.
>
> Police also deny the victim was told he had breached data rules. A senior officer said: > "> The officer simply pointed out if the case went to court he would have to say where the details came from.> ">
>
> The 1988 Data Protection Act came under the spotlight when Humberside cops said they dumped records of allegations against Soham murderer Ian Huntley.
>
> Mr Conn> '> s case caused uproar last night.
>
> Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: > "> Many people are frightened of violent attack > -> they do not live in fear of data protection rules.
>
> "> They would rightly expect police to prosecute violent criminals ahead of those who may have broken data laws.> ">
>
>
______________________________E-mail confidentiality __________________________________ This message is intended for the addressee only. It is private, confidential and may be covered by legal professional privilege or other legal or attorney/client privilege. If you have received this message in error, please notify us and remove it from your system. If you require assistance, please contact our London office (telephone +44 (0) 20 7490 4000). Masons is an international law firm with offices in London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Brussels, Dublin, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. Further information about the firm and a list of partners is available for inspection at 30 Aylesbury Street, London EC1R OER or from our Web site at www.masons.com
This e-mail has been scanned for all viruses by Star Internet using MessageLabs SkyScan services. For more information visit: www.star.net.uk.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
All archives of messages are stored permanently and are
available to the world wide web community at large at
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/data-protection.html
If you wish to leave this list please send the command
leave data-protection to [log in to unmask]
All user commands can be found at : -
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/help/commandref.htm
(all commands go to [log in to unmask] not the list please)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|