Two charged over BNP members leak

BNP leader Nick Griffin called the leak "an act of treachery"

Two people have been charged with breaching the Data Protection Act after a British National Party membership list was leaked on the internet.

Dyfed-Powys Police said a man aged 27 and a woman aged 30 were arrested in Brinsley, Nottinghamshire, on Thursday and will appear in court next month.

The names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of some 10,000 party supporters were leaked in November.

The BNP said it was "a serious offence" that had caused "a lot of distress".

The list included the names of current and former servicemen, police officers, teachers and doctors.

The BNP said it dated from 2007 and many of those named were no longer members.

'Treachery'

Party leader Nick Griffin lodged a complaint with Dyfed-Powys, his local force, on the grounds that publishing the list breached human rights and data protection laws, and could put at risk those who were named.

We are glad the police and the CPS have taken this seriously BNP spokesman

He called the leak as "a disgraceful act of treachery" by former BNP members who were subsequently sacked.

Earlier last year, the party obtained an injunction from the High Court in Manchester banning any publication of the list.

A police spokesman said the man and woman had been arrested following a joint investigation with the Information Commissioner's Office.

They have been charged under Section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998, which makes it a criminal offence to "knowingly or recklessly obtain or disclose" personal information without consent.

A BNP spokesman said on Friday: "We are glad the police and the CPS have taken this seriously.

"It's a serious offence and has caused a lot of distress."

The pair will appear before magistrates in Nottingham on 1 September.