Teenage hacker admits website charges

Raphael Gray appeared before magistrates

A teenage computer hacker arrested during an FBI investigation has admitted gaining unlawful access to company websites and to dishonestly obtaining services from the internet.

Raphael Gray, 19, from Clynderwen, near Narberth in west Wales, faced 10 charges under the Computer Misuse Act (Section 2) of downloading unauthorised information.

He was arrested back In March last year following an operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into an alleged $3m internet credit card fraud.

A number of Dyfed-Powys Police officers later raided his home.

Gray admitted downloading 26,000 credit card numbers using his computer but insisted he did not do so for personal gain.

On Wednesday, he appeared at Swansea Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing and pleaded guilty to six charges of unlawfully gaining access to corporate websites.

Once more, he insisted to the court that he did nothing unlawful with the information he had gleaned.

He also admitted four charges of dishonestly obtaining services over the internet.

These included using credit card details from people in the United States.

The case has been adjourned for pre-sentence reports.