The latest from the ICO, after a series of court actions against various individuals;
Two further individuals have been convicted following our extensive investigation into the unlawful accessing and sale of personal information obtained from over 400 garages across the UK, as well as claims management and insurance companies.
Christopher Munro, 37, of Knutsford, Cheshire, and William Chipoma, 35, of Enfield, London, were charged after investigations uncovered their involvement in the theft and sale of personal data within the claims management sector.
Our enquiries revealed that Munro and Chipoma deliberately sought employment with the intention of stealing and selling personal data.
- Munro, while working for two different companies during 2015 and 2016, accessed thousands of records without legitimate authority or consent, receiving payments totalling £16,000. He made multiple employment applications to claims management and insurance companies but left after short periods when unable to access personal data. He was charged with four offences: two under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and two under Section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998.
- Chipoma illegally accessed records and sold personal data between 2015 and 2017, receiving payments totalling £70,550. He was also charged with four offences: two under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and two under Section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Both men pleaded guilty to all offences at an earlier hearing.
Following this, both men appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on 11 February 2026 where Chipoma was handed a 10 month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, as well as being ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work. Whilst Munro was handed a 32 week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, as well as being ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
This brings the total number of individuals prosecuted in our largest nuisance call investigation to 13.
Our enquiries remain ongoing, and we continue to pursue Jamie Munro, 33, who is currently wanted and believed to have absconded abroad. (IE Note; Jamie Munro was previously listed as a Director of Juno Finance and Leasing, based in Wilmslow. They were trading on Facebook as Juno Cars.)
ICO Financial Investigators as well as external Financial Investigators are looking to recoup the financial benefits obtained by these offenders by utilising the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
We have an ongoing second phase of our investigation and anticipate further prosecutions of people embedded into insurance companies and claims management companies with the sole aim of stealing personal data.
More information can be found here: Eight men guilty following largest ever nuisance call investigation | ICO
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