LEGAL files relating to top court cases including the Rhys Jones murder were found in the street

A woman was stunned to discover a computer memory stick belonging to a lawyer lying on the pavement in Hope Street, Liverpool.

She said the electronic device contained extensive information about the killing of the 11-year-old in Croxteth – including names and addresses of witnesses, many of whose identities were kept anonymous to the public during the two-month trial.

Merseyside Police today insisted that there was nothing of a sensitive nature contained on the memory stick.

However the woman said she was also able to see information about:

Victims in high-profile cases, including some graphic accounts of sexual abuse cases.

People’s private bank account details and claims made by patients against various NHS trusts, including Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

Files of surveillance of Islamic terror suspects from the London bombings in 2005 and information about terror training in Pakistan.

Details of the Liam Smith murder outside Altcourse Prison in Fazakerley and the fatal stabbing of mother Rachel Jones in Everton.

Intelligence about police tactics from Operation Alarm – a major criminal investigation – and Operation Gingerbread.

Today, the Toxteth woman who found the memory stick said she was horrified such important data could easily have ended up in the wrong hands.

The mother, in her late 20s, contacted Merseyside Police who arranged for an officer to pick up the vital computer component.

She said: “I plugged the stick into my own computer as I thought it might contain university work and I could give it back to them.

“If that information had been seen by a career criminal, I dread to think what could have happened.

“The text should be encrypted in some way so if it’s lost or is seen by someone who it’s not intended for, they can’t read it.

THE LIVERPOOL ECHO

How many more times is this going to be allowed to happen? oh yes, they'll "launch and enquiry". So what???? These enquiries cost thousands if not millions and jack shit is learnt.
The people who keep 'losing' these data files must have had to sign the official secrets act at some point in their 'glittering' careers which make this an act of treason for which the penalty is ......................

I wouldn't go so far as to say that losing this kind of information is treason. I did hear that the government was looking at bringing in stricter penalties for this type of issue in the future. I don't remember the details on it though and it was a lil while ago, so I don't know if it's still in the pipeline or not.

There shouldn't be any grandiose enquiries into this kinda thing, it's just people being stupid. What should be in place is a system of strict fines to penalise people who do this kind of thing.

It astonishes me how people are of in trust and handle such sensitive material actualy manage to lose/mislay or blatantly leave things for the public to get hold of and even view such information.

A company I used to work with continued with Windows NT until very recently - and a major reason was that NT is effectively Windows 95 with a few knobs & whistles and it will NOT support USB

Snod

hang on, it was stolen and the thief dumped it not the owner!