Feltis, Regina v: CACD 19 Aug 1996

The defendant appealed against sentence of twleve months for causing an impairment of operation of the computer. He had repeatedly disconnected network cables on his employers main network causing very serious disruption to its business.
Held: There was substantial personal mitigation: ‘. It is clear that this appellant is unlikely to re-offend. He has worked hard for his employers in the past and the effects of his wrongdoing have been extremely severe, both to him, in that he is never going to work in the computer business again, and upon his wife and family who are facing very, very grave financial embarrassment, if not worse.
In those circumstances we feel that there is substantial personal mitigation and that in the circumstances this is a proper case in which we can reduce the length of the sentence which this man ought to suffer. We do not criticise in any way whatever the sentence passed by the learned trial judge, but as an act of mercy and in the light of all the reports, some of which we suspect were not before the learned trial judge, we consider that the right sentence to be passed in this case is one of six months’ imprisonment ‘

[1996] EWCA Crim 776
Bailii
Computer Misuse Act 1990
England and Wales

Criminal Sentencing

Updated: 14 January 2022; Ref: scu.563180