Matthew Johnstone given suspended sentence for iCloud data damage

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Matthew Johnstone was given a two-year suspended sentence for criminal damage of data at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence after Johnstone pleaded guilty to accessing personal information in three people’s iCloud accounts.

The offences occurred on various dates in 2016 and 2017. The report said Johnstone used software to access the accounts and downloaded personal data, making a small change that gave rise to the charge.

The court heard none of the information was disseminated further and no injured party wished to make a victim impact statement. The defence said Johnstone admitted the offence, expressed remorse and did not cause huge inconvenience. The proceedings were reported on 21 March 2023.