Former BNP officials charged over leaked membership lists
The Times by Dominic Kennedy | Saturday, 22 August 2009 | Click here for original article
Two former members of the British National Party have been charged under the Data Protection Act after its entire membership list was leaked on the internet.
Sadie Graham, 30, previously a councillor and organiser, and her husband Matt Single, 27, the BNP’s former security chief, who were expelled from the party, could face a maximum £5,000 fine if convicted.
Nick Griffin, the party leader, described the release of 12,000 names and addresses last November as “a disgraceful act of treachery”. The newlyweds were arrested before Christmas at their home in Brinsley, Nottinghamshire. The list showed how the party had attracted many ordinary people, including lecturers, former servicemen and pensioners.
Paula Barrett, the head of data protection at Eversheds Solicitors, said that the law regarded political sympathies as sensitive data, similar to religious belief or sexual activity.
The couple, who are due to appear before Nottingham magistrates on September 1, were involved in a power struggle in the party, which won two seats in the European elections in June.
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