Computer fears 'confirmed’

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 4

Computer fears 'confirmed’

PA Auckland, A policeman who dis-’ closed information which he' obtained from the police: computer about a girl who was associated with a fellow solo parents' club member, has been fined $750. The Magistrate, Mr T. G. Maxwell, S.M., said the case! confirmed New Zealanders’ fears about the unauthorised use of the computer. Before him for sentence in I the Magistrate's Court at I Henderson was Robert' Markham Mansfield, aged 43, a police constable, ofi Henderson. At an earlier hearing, Mansfield had pleaded guilty; to disclosing without authority information he had obtained from the computer. The court was told that he checked the history of a girl who had a close association with a member of the Te Atatu Solo Parents’ Club to which Mansfield belonged. He told the member's

ibrother of the girl’s con-' ’ fictions. His counsel, Mr B. M. 'Crocker, said Mansfield had been a policeman for 17! years. He had not been sus-' ipended over the matter, and: I was still allowed access to] the computer. This showed how much : his superiors trusted him, said Mr Crocker. His motive in releasing! the information was to help .a friend. "This was a single.’ isolated lapse,” said Mr Crocker. Passing sentence. the) : Magistrate said there had’ ‘been considerable publicity i about leaks from the Wa-| nganui Computer Centre. i “One thing we as New> Zealanders try to preserve is our privacy,” he said. I “Throughout, there has been a feeling that this privacy would be ursurped — a per-’ son would make use ofi information stored (in the I computer) — and this is ex-l actly what has happened.” |