Neil Wilby Media

An allegation of a data breach in their dealings with a journalist, made by a notorious police service critic, is proving difficult to stand up.

Paul Ponting, a 53 year old computer repairer from Ormskirk, West Lancashire, who operates a number of social media channels themed around his infamous ‘UK Corrupt Police’ Twitter account, alleges that Greater Manchester Police breached his personal data rights when responding to a press request made in connection with his arrest in March, 2023 over common assault, harassment and stalking allegations (read more here).

Ponting denies wrongdoing and describes the article as ‘bullshit’, or worse. He was bailed by the police, with conditions, for three months.

The journalist making that request was Neil Wilby, the author of this article, who was able to do so as the complainants associated with those allegations are known to him (read more here).

The reporter was also aided considerably, in putting questions to the GMP press office, by a contemporaneous and highly detailed running commentary of the suspect’s arrest, his release and subsequent searches of his home and business on the @UKCorruptPolice Twitter feed.

The news article allegedly under scrutiny by the Information Commissioner’s Office did not appear until 36 hours later.

On that same ‘UK Corrupt Police’ output, described in recent times, and separately, by two senior circuit judges as featuring ‘violent and unpleasant language’, and ‘false and malicious allegations’, Ponting made a post on Friday 2nd June, 2023 to the effect that the ICO had told him that GMP had breached the Data Protection Act in confirming details put to them by Neil Wilby over the Ponting arrest and that, as a result, Ponting was issuing civil proceedings against both. He did not share any evidence of that alleged finding.

The problem, so far, is that enquiries put to the ICO press office, and copied to GMP, have drawn a blank. There is also no notice of the alleged breach posted on the appropriate sections of the ICO website: ‘Action We’ve Taken’ and ‘News and Blogs’.

In contrast, a reprimand issued over a data breach by Thames Valley Police was reported on 30th May and 2nd June, 2023 in those sections, respectively (read here).

The press enquiry has now been escalated to the ICO’s Head of Investigations, Natasha Longson, with particular emphasis on an apparent ‘investigation’ that did not take any evidence from at least one of its targets and why its alleged conclusion was not transmitted to that same target before he read about it on social media.

Whilst Neil Wilby cannot speak for GMP, whom presumably would be joined as co-defendants in the civil action contemplated by Paul Ponting, he can say with some purpose that any allegations of data breach over the matter of the reporting of this suspect’s arrest would be robustly defended. Indeed, he says, a ventilation of the material issues, in public, would be most welcome.

It is an inalienable fact that Paul Ponting, via his UK Corrupt Police persona, has, within the past week, received Twitter sanctions over breach of private data.

The victim, who currently has the benefit of an interim court injunction against Ponting in place, cannot be named for legal reasons. Matters he has not, so far, shared with his audience on social media.

Follow Neil Wilby on Twitter (here) and Neil Wilby Media on Facebook (here) for signposts to any updates.

Page last updated: Tuesday 6th June, 2023 at 1005 hours

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