Community service for web hacker

An ex-RAF man has escaped a jail sentence despite admitting hacking into a website for reuniting former members of the military.

John Thornley, of Chorley, Lancs, was ordered to do 60 hours' community service and pay £520 compensation.

The 31-year-old had sabotaged the Forces Reunited website in 2003 under the user name Harry Potter.

Chippenham Magistrates heard he uploaded programs which deleted details.

Thornley, who was mistakenly convinced a rival webmaster had stolen e-mail addresses from his site, uploaded viruses to his computer and criticised him in a website review.

But sentencing Thornley, magistrate Caroline McLean said: "If you think of a fight in a playground, just because somebody hit you that doesn't give you the right to hit them back."