Brit webcam criminal snared in FBI LuminosityLink creepware sting spared prison

A man who spied on unsuspecting victims through their webcams has escaped a prison sentence after buying off-the-shelf LuminosityLink malware and using CCTV software to spy on them. John Wood, 42, received a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to two Computer Misuse Act charges and six counts of voyeurism at …

[Gordon 10]

How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

The judge & CPS seem to have treated this as a victimless crime. Where were the hacking charges? Was there any evidence that he shared this stuff?

i bet his "mental health issues" only materialised after he was nicked.

[Flocke Kroes]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

A criminal record has consequences and I might prefer two years in a UK prison to going on the sexual offenders register. His opsec is lousy. If he tries this again he will get caught and he will be in prison and on the sexual offenders register at the same time. He might will prefer a quick death sentence to that.

[IGotOut]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

Does seem lenient, but the sexual harm prevention order (not the same as sex offenders register, which he will also have to be on), can be very strict. They vary from person to person, but...

He may have to inform the police if he enters a relationship, often after a few weeks

He will not be allowed to delete web history and may have to have a device fitted tracking ALL his web traffic.

He may not be allowed to travel without informing the police.

He may not be allowed to visit certain places, without prior consent.

He will be visited a random.times without warning.

And the list goes on and on

Also add in reduced job prospects, higher insurance costs and plenty more.

So although I'm surprised at the lack of jail, he has "gotten off"

[Danny 2]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

@IGotOut

I presume from your context you meant he hasn't "gotten off". I agree mostly.

The guy is an utter creep, his picture should be posted locally and nationally, he should be denied any access to phone or computer or passport. But it would cost roughly £46,000 pa to keep him in prison, and prisons are already full.

[IGotOut]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

"he should be denied any access to phone or computer or passport. "

See my above post. A computer will have a black box fitted after the router. The phone may be required not to have a camera.

As for posting his image?

That's great until someone petrol bombs his house and kills an innocent person inside.

[Danny 2]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

Nah, we disagree, hopefully politely.

He has seriously disrespected others privacy so merits none. And it is just a fact his image will be posted, there is a photographer permanently outside even minor courts. Here's him, albeit in disguise and pulling a Weinstein. I think his police station photo should be published, and it maybe has been but I can't be bothered searching because his name is so common.

No phone ever, except maybe a landline, no computer at all. Hang him and then flog him. I write from a PC with the camera taped over.

[david 12]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

Stopped in 2016, caught in 2018 (on a purchase from 2015), sentenced in 2020.

Might have been different if he hadn't demonstrated changed behavior 2 years before he was caught and 4 years before he was sentenced.

[IGotOut]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

When you go to Crown Court where prison is a possibility, you take your clothes with you.

[N2]

Re: How on earth wasnt this toe rag jailed?

Mental health issues? My arse.

Now, wheres that black hat...

[David Roberts]

More to be told?

Reportedly bought some standard webcam software and ended up with a stash of amateur shagger videos.

This suggests that there are/were an awful lot of unsecured webcams pointing at shagging locations. Either not intended to be public or part of a video dogging network. If such a thing exists which it more than likely does

[Gordon 10]

Re: More to be told?

Video dogging. Geez thanks for that! Another example of Rule 42.

[IGotOut]

Re: More to be told?

I did this with, I think, Axiom, IP cameras way back in the early 2000s. We bought on for work, but you could access them from outside as they had their own little webserver.

You could Google a query string and it would list them all. 90% had no pw protection other that admin / admin.

Gave you full access to pan / tilt and zoom.

[Anonymous Coward]

We have cameras at work, I tell everyone to assume that they are hacked when they are in the same room.