Gordon Ramsay’s father-in-law has been jailed for six months for conspiring to hack a computer system relating to the celebrity chef’s business interests.<\/p>\n
Christopher Hutcheson, 68, and his sons Adam, 46, and Christopher, 37, admitted plotting to unlawfully access Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited’s system.<\/p>\n
The two younger men were both given four month jail terms, suspended for two years, at the Old Bailey.<\/p>\n
The judge described the conspiracy as “unattractive and unedifying”.<\/p>\n
The court heard Hutcheson senior was involved in a public falling out with Mr Ramsay during which he tried to break into the chef’s emails and find financial details and other information.<\/p>\n
Having been sacked as CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd, he conspired with his sons to access company systems almost 2,000 times between 23 October 2010 and 31 March 2011.<\/p>\n
The Old Bailey was told some of the material might have given the Hutchesons the upper hand during a legal battle heard at the High Court.<\/p>\n
Stories about a “hair transplant” and a “fishing trip” also later appeared in the newspapers.<\/p>\n
After their actions were discovered, Hutcheson senior sent an email to his son saying: “Guess we have been rumbled. Bit late though.”<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Julian Christopher QC told the court the hack was intended “to obtain material that might embarrass Mr Ramsay or be useful in the ongoing dispute with him”.<\/p>\n
He said items including photos were “provided to the press which led to considerable intrusion into the privacy of the family”.<\/p>\n
But Hutcheson senior’s lawyer Michael Borrelli said his client denied leaking or authorising the leaking of material to the papers.<\/p>\n
He also said Hutcheson senior had already paid the chef more than \u00a31m in damages and legal costs, plus his own legal fees of around \u00a31m from the civil case.<\/p>\n
Neither Gordon Ramsay or his wife Tana were in court to hear the sentencing.<\/p>\n
Mr Christopher said since the civil case had ended the families had reconciled and the pair did not support the criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n
The judge said in spite of this, the seriousness of the crime meant immediate imprisonment was appropriate.<\/p>\n
Hutcheson senior, of Earlsfield, Hutcheson junior, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, and Adam Hutcheson, from Sevenoaks, in Kent, all previously admitted conspiring to cause a computer to access programmes and data without authority in April.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"