Courts / Galway / Report

Hacker who redirected "Sun" users to fake Murdoch death story avoids jail

Summary

Darren Martyn, 25, of Cloonbeggin, Claregalway, Co. Galway, was sentenced in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for hacking into News International's website in July 2011. Martyn pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage to data. The court heard that he and co-accused Donncha O'Cearbhaill, then members of Lulzsec, redirected users to a fake story claiming Rupert Murdoch was dead. Judge Karen O'Connor imposed a nine-month suspended sentence on Martyn, citing his guilty plea, cooperation with the investigation, and his subsequent positive professional development as a security researcher and lecturer. She noted the offence involved considerable planning and premeditation. In March, co-accused Donncha O'Cearbhaill, 24, also received a nine-month suspended sentence for his part in the hacking. The judge acknowledged the serious nature of the breach, which caused significant downtime for The Sun and sister sites, but accepted mitigation regarding Martyn's maturity and current employment. The matter was finalised with the imposition of these suspended sentences.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Hacker who redirected "Sun" users to fake Murdoch death story avoids jail. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 2011 Incident
• July 12, 2011 Incident
• July 18, 2011 Incident
• 2017-05-24 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report