back to article British bloke bailed after 'hacker plunders Pippa Middleton's iCloud'

A man in Northamptonshire, UK, has been quizzed by cops investigating attempts by a hacker to sell the private photographs of Pippa Middleton – the sister to the Duchess of Cambridge. This weekend, The Sun reported that someone using the nickname "Crafty Cockney" contacted it with an offer of the contents of Ms Middleton's …

  1. Mage Silver badge

    Evil bloke

    But why do people trust ANYTHING private to anyone's so called "cloud"

    1. Tom 38

      Re: Evil bloke

      iphone + ipad user with little interest in technology asks "how can I see the photos I took on my phone on my tablet", 3 clicks later..

    2. David Nash Silver badge

      Re: Evil bloke

      They don't see it like that. They just want to take advantage of the automatic backup and/or synchronising between devices. Perhaps it's even automatic (I don't know, I don't have an i-device).

  2. zb

    He makes me proud to be British

    At least it wasn't one of Putin's cyberlackies :)

    1. a_yank_lurker

      Re: He makes me proud to be British

      Better yet, there wasn't the knee jerk reaction that it was the NORKS, Ivans, or Chinese you hear over here.

    2. Mark 65

      Re: He makes me proud to be British

      Until it said he was from Northants and 35 I thought it was Eric Bristow with that cheeky cyber moniker.

  3. Stevie

    Bah!

    Outrageous! I mean, who calls themselves by such a ridiculous name?

    "Pippa" indeed.

  4. Tromos

    Not an auction, but the highest bid gets the goods.

    If fond guilty, he shouldn't be jailed, just imprisoned for a few months.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    In hindsight using whatsapp to try and sell the loot was maybe not the best idea....

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Indeed. Since he presumably obtained the photos by taking advantage of someone's poor security (I'm guessing a guessable password), it seems very odd he didn't take more care in his own security.

  6. Martin Summers Silver badge

    "This isnt (sic) an auction it will be a simple process of the highest bid in the next 48 hours"

    So an auction then... Dumbass

  7. Syntax Error

    I was looking forward to seeing the pictures.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Why, is Pippa's fiance an attractive fella? I having been keeping up on royal affairs.

  8. frank ly

    "Crafty Cockney"

    A misguided attempt to spoof his location? I'll bet he's as sic as a parrot now.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Mark 65

        Re: "Crafty Cockney"

        An early checkout of 170 for good behaviour?

  9. streaky
    Terminator

    Interesting..

    .. how easy it is to get the police to investigate if you're connected. Same thing happens to you they're not interested; I know because similar happened to my sister and I know who did it and can prove it and point them in the direction of reliable third party evidence they can obtain legally and without fuss and they won't even discuss it.

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: Interesting..

      You can always start a civil suit…

      1. Peter2 Silver badge

        Re: Interesting..

        Any system is like this, starting from the bottom is always painful.

        Imagine that your calling an Indian call centre or support that's been outsourced to Capita. Great effort is devoted in most organisations to ensuring that problems don't make it up sucessive layers. The first line is always "hope they go away" followed by trying to make it difficult enough that you give up.

        Getting to the second line is quite difficult. Getting to third line is nigh on impossible.

        Starting at the top and working down is quite a lot easier, especially if "the top" is the Queen who everybody in the police force swears allegience to. She probably made a call to "Sir Stratospherically Senior, CBE" asking them if they could find time at their convenience to look at $issue.

        Imagine the effect this would have in your orginisation. In mine, the issue would descend from board level like a descending bomb, with everybody scattering out of the way until it hits somebody who can deal with it, probably in IT terms the sort of third line people who are locked away with armed guards posted at the door to keep users or first/second line techs away from them.

        It then gets handled by Her Majesties Courts and Tribunal Service with the sort of efficiency that most people can only dream of, when the court clerk realises that "the Queen versus criminal" in this particular case is somewhat more litteral than the proforma it is in most cases.

        Pretend it doesn't happen everwhere. When the CEO logs an incident on his assistants printer, does he wait as long as somebody reporting a similar issue in admin support? No?

        1. streaky

          Re: Interesting..

          No doubt, just find it fascinating the way it works. It shouldn't really be too difficult to get the police to investigate what should technically be considered serious crime (parliament intentionally wrote it that way when they created the law).

          For my part I still have the official complaints procedure and talking to MPs about it to go through before I give up any hope it'll be sorted through the criminal justice system like it aught to be. You'd think the police would be glad to deal with this stuff in a world of targets and detection rates.

  10. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Headmaster

    more monarchically inclined newspapers

    I think you mis-spelt 'moronically'...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: more monarchically inclined newspapers

      As for the comic that is the Sun, they (and Rupert the owner) still have not apologised for the lies they printed about Hillsborough all those years ago.

      Many outlets on Merseyside still won't sell the rag.

      At least this time they seem to have done the decent thing but it is still a reprehensible rag an no, I'm not a Liverpool supporter

      1. gazthejourno (Written by Reg staff)

        Re: Re: more monarchically inclined newspapers

        Not true, actually. They did apologise four years ago.

  11. Bob Rocket

    Free publicity

    Skinny non-entity who was once 'famous by association' gets free publicity, has she got a book coming out ?

    1. FIA Silver badge

      Re: Free publicity

      Skinny non-entity who was once 'famous by association' gets free publicity, has she got a book coming out ?

      Really? That's what you took from the story? For me it was 'Person made famous by dint of being related to someone has deeply personal information stolen by scumbag who then attempted to profit'.

      Hey ho.

      There are many people whose fame seems curious and unfathomable to me. Siblings of the future Queen hardly fall into the celeb big brother bracket though do they?

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The future king answers his own telephone? What is the world coming to? He'll be flying EasyJet next.

  13. Doogie Howser MD

    He should be jailed for his laughably bad grammar alone!

  14. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    Nice pictures!

    So every cop in Northamptonshire is now looking at the pictures and sharing them with their mates?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Alt title

    Crafty Cockney collared in cloudy celebrity crime caper.

    Ok ok, back to work.

  16. FuzzyWuzzys
    Facepalm

    Best imaginary quote from Kate's weeding...

    "So Kate, did the wedding go well?"

    "Yes, apart from it being overshadowed by everyone staring at my sister's arse!"

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Have the pictures been leaked? Anything juicy?

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