FA email hacking and misuse of tickets case – arrests and forthcoming trial

Way way back on October 12 last year Untold ran the story that Greater Manchester Police officers had apprehended Dean Mohareb, the national referee development manager of the FA.

This followed a complaint by Janie Frampton the former national referee manager for education and training, who was dismissed from her FA post for professional misconduct earlier this year.  Ms Frampton’s case followed an FA ruling that she had offered FA Cup semi-final tickets to British Airways staff in return for upgrades on a trip to a football tournament in the US.

That matter went to an employment tribunal – but in a  separate matter Ms Frampton claimed that private emails sent from her FA email account while she was employed by the FA were hacked and leaked by Dean Mohareb.

Mohareb, remained as the FA’s national referee development manager and a Football League match official, until he was suspended from the FA also in October 2012.

Since then investigations have continued into the alleged email hacking.  (If you are not in the UK I should add that email and phone hacking is a huge issue in the UK and caused the closure of the News of the World newspaper (owned by R Murdoch)  – the largest circulation paper in the UK at the time of its demise.   A mega trial concerning hacking is now going on in London – and the case has caused a reform of the way newspapers are regulated in the UK.

So, Frampton was dismissed on the evidence of a group of leaked emails and since then in the prelude to this we have heard that many people were sent anonymous emails demanding Frampton be sacked. 

Frampton took her case to an employment tribunal – the arena in the UK for anyone who claims to have been sacked unfairly, and the FA failed to prove its case against Frampton, instead settling the matter out of court.  This is important, since it means no wrong doing has been proven against Frampton in any way.

Meanwhile it is now reported that Mohareb had electrical equipment taken  from his home address by police last year and he has now been charged with  perverting the course of justice and unauthorised access to computer data.

Greater Manchester Police are also reporting that that two other men have been charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the same case.  They are Vincent Rossi, an FA-qualified tutor involved in referee training courses, and Liam Cliff of whom I have no information. 

Obviously these cases are now before the law and one must only report the facts of the case not speculation, so we have to leave the matter there.

20 Replies to “FA email hacking and misuse of tickets case – arrests and forthcoming trial”

  1. Very interesting Tony!

    In case this doesn’t feature prominently in the press(!) I’m sure you’ll keep us updated on any developments.

  2. So, employers can’t dismiss employees based on info they get by snooping, especially if there is no job related misconduct? Some voyeur lurking on this forum need to read this piece and learn something about how things work in the UK.

  3. The closest to environmentally friendly this government has been is to sink The News of The World but let the Sun and Sky stay afloat to greet us each day.

  4. Settled out of court, how much did she get? I was not really paying attn football on, arsenal so if answer is up there, sorry.
    Cardiff lets rumble!!!

  5. Employers can’t dismiss employees based on info they get by illegal e mail hacking, but I assume they could if the person was stupid enough to put the e mails and their identity on a public forum for anyone to read?

  6. Well this is interesting.
    And a person could think:
    Apparently it seems that people who have responsible functions in the referee world are not completely without sins.
    These are people who are working and training the referees and managing the referees. And they seemed to have done things outside the laws. The laws of the country.

    How would they do when it comes to the laws of the games? Would they also break those rules if they feel the need? Knowing that the police will not really go after them until someone filed a complaint?

    But surely as some have stated: this could not happen in England, the FA ore the PGMOL of course. They are completely abiding to the laws, all the laws…

    So don’t worry… there will be sunshine after rain… these things have always been the same…

  7. The horror! Some blogger posted the following about themselves on their blog:

    “From http://www.bootoomee.com/about/

    About

    My name is Bootoomee. Welcome to my blog.

    I am an Electrical Engineer, an IT professional and an Educator.

    I am married to a wonderful woman and we are blessed with a deliciously feisty set of twin girls.

    I am crazy about Arsenal Football Club. I am a positive and optimistic Gooner. I believe in Arsene Wenger even though I admit that he makes mistakes.

    I am not religious but I hold very strong and mostly negative views of religion. You may not like what you read about religion here. Other than showing logical flaws and hypocrisies of religions, I shall make no attempt to deliberately offend any faith or its adherents.

    I am liberal about 90% of the time. I am fairly conservative on discipline and parenting. I am 100% pragmatic, however. My preferred position on any issue is the position that will yield the best result. I am guided by common sense and logic; not ideology.

    What you’ll read here are my thoughts, opinions and ideas on issues that I care about. Where I may cause offense, I apologise as I am wholly responsible for my mistakes. I shall go to extra-ordinary lengths to give credit to those it is due whenever I use the work of others. In case I fail to do this, kindly notify me in the comments (info on the original sources shall be highly appreciated) and prompt amends shall be made.

    Read, enjoy (or endure?) and please, please, please leave a comment if you can. Thank you.”

    Now having posted this on the Internet of all places, they are fair game. Voyeurs everywhere will now use this ‘sacrosanct’ details that they are “foolish” enough to put out about themselves to harrass them. Their employers can also use this to dismiss them too.

    As earlier posted, some have no idea of how things work in the civilised world, or even in the real adult world altogether.

    Whether the details are advertised on the most read tabloid or hidden in the world’s most secure server, you cannot use people’s details to harrass them on matters that have nothing to do with such.

    The filthiness of some people’s lives are exposed by what they considered to be so sacred to the point of being kept secret.

  8. Look Bootoomee

    I was not snooping into your life- I looked at your public pages because I wanted to see what kind of person would encourage one user to abuse another.

    I could not believe that someone who would call themselves an “educator” would encourage another user to call people names- which amounts to bullying. You are most certainly an internet bully. I am going to have to change my username as I do not want to bring down the tone of this excellent site any further, and because you continue this infantile spat, despite agreeing not to. Because bullying is habitual and you cannot help yourself.

    I apologise to Tony, Walter and the other users for having to read this nonsense

  9. Eavesdropping
    I was in the public toilets and had just sat down, a voice from the next cubicle said “Hi!, how are you?” Embarrassed, I said, “I’m doing fine” The voice said “So what are you up to?

    ” I said, “Just doing the same as you, sitting here!” From next door, “Can I come over?
    ” Annoyed, I said, “rather busy right now” The voice said, “Listen, I will have to call you back, there’s an idiot next door answering all my questions”

    Eavesdropping wife –
    I wasn’t planning on buying any dogs or garden tools this past weekend, but when my wife overheard me talking on the phone about picking up some bitches and hoes, I really didn’t have much choice.

    Eavesdropping Elder-
    Seems an elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, “your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.”

    To which the gentleman said, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I’ve changed my will three times !”

    Hearing voices –
    A blonde wanted to go ice fishing. She’d seen many books on the subject, and finally getting all the necessary tools together, she made for the ice.

    After positioning her comfy footstool, she started to make a circular cut in the ice. Suddenly, from the sky, a voice boomed,”THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!”

    Startled, the blonde moved further down the ice, poured a thermos of cappuccino, and began to cut yet another hole. Again from the heavens the voice bellowed, “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!”

    The blonde, now worried, moved away, clear down to the opposite end of the ice. She set up her stool once more and tried again to cut her hole.

    The voice came once more, “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!” She stopped, looked skyward! and said, “IS THAT YOU LORD?”

    The voice replied, “NO, THIS IS THE MANAGER OF THE HOCKEY RINK!”

  10. Cheers American sitcom
    The Buffalo Theory as explained by Cliff Clavin, of the TV programme Cheers.

    One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here’s how it went:

    “Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this… A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first.

    “This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

    “In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first.

    “In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

  11. TJ,

    Mr Johnny come lately, every regular at Untold Arsenal knows every bit of information that you, for some weird reasons, think are supposed to be secret and that I have committed a grave faux pas by putting on my blog, which thereby gives you the right to use such to harass me whenever we disagree.

    If you disapprove of my potty mouth or name calling, say so without bringing the tiny snippet that you know about me into it. It’s called class. On this blog, many of us regulars know a few things about each other but we don’t bring such knowledge into our debates. That’s what you did and it is low.

    Change your username or take any other action for a fresh start but in future, take people on the merit or demerits of
    what they say to you during debates rather than looking for some information about their lives for leverage to score cheap points; whether they advertised such information or not.

    For instance, it would be wrong of me, if I knew your religion (because you advertised it on your blog or otherwise), to use that against you in a football debate and then call you a hypocrite for not acting according to how adherents of your faith are expected to act. Or say that if your clergy could find what you are writing, you’d get ex-communicated. That would be classless. That’s what you did to me and it is wrong.

    My first article was published on this site in early 2010. I’ve been reading and commenting long before then. You think I’m a bully, I think it’s pot calling kettle black. I have strong opinions and I am tenacious in expressing them. You are not the first poster that I’ll have a row with and you will not be the last; but I am still here while many of those have been banned because of their actions here.

    I don’t have a reputation for being polite on here or in real life (and yes, including my place of work). I’m known for my honesty, intelligence and for always telling it like it is, feelings be damned. What I’m not known for, is hitting people below the belt or resorting to voyeuristic behaviour to get one over others whose conduct I consider to be inappropriate.

  12. The 3 Spies

    There are 3 Spies that get captured. One spy is French, one is German and the other is Italian. Their captors come into the cell and grab the French spy and tie his hands behind a chair in the next room.
    They torture him for 2 hours before he answers all questions and gives up all of his secrets. The captors throw the French spy back into the cell and grab the German spy.
    They tie his hands behind the chair as well and torture him for 4 hours before he tells them what they want to know. They throw him back into the cell and grab the Italian spy. They tie his hands behind the chair and begin torturing. 4 hours go by and the spy isn’t talking. Then 8 hours, then 16 and after 24 hours they give up and throw him back into the cell.
    The German and French spy are impressed and ask him how he managed to not talk. The Italian spy responds, ” I wanted to!, but I couldn’t move my hands!”.

  13. You talking to me?

    At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness. “Isn’t it true,” he bellowed, “that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?”
    The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn’t heard the question.
    “Isn’t it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?” the lawyer repeated.
    The witness still did not respond.
    Finally, the judge leaned over and said, “Sir, please answer the question.”
    “Oh,” the startled witness said, “I thought he was talking to you.”

  14. @TJ

    I don’t want to inflame your debate with Bootoomee, indeed I would be very happy if you guys come to an accommodation. But I do want to correct you on one point: –

    Your sentence – “I could not believe that someone who would call themselves an “educator” would encourage another user to call people names- which amounts to bullying.”

    Get it that neither Bootoomee or anyone else influences my perceptions or actions – end of. Bootoomee did not incite my comments in any way – contrary to the implication in your sentence – please accept that point.

    Also, I ahve a high regard for Bootoomee, he has defended the club, team, individual players and manager with great courage and skill against unjustified attacks from the AAA and various whingers. So I suggest you back off, have no more comments on Bootoomee’s professional life and in time we may all sing from the same song sheet – when you start attacking private life or professional competence you are on very dangerous ground – much more serious than name calling – so back off.

  15. Teacher arrested

    At New York’s Kennedy airport today, an individual later discovered to be a public school teacher was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a setsquare, a slide rule, and a calculator.
    At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. Th FBI is charging him with carrying weapons of math instruction.
    “Al-gebra is a fearsome cult,” Gonzalez said. “They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangent! s in a search for absolute value.
    They use secret code names like ‘x’ and ‘y’ and refer to themselves as ‘unknowns,’ but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.!
    As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, ‘there are 3 sides to every triangle.’”
    When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, “If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes.”

  16. Sneaky lawyer – you’ve got to hand it to this guy …

    A lawyer defending a man accused of burglary tried this creative defense: ‘My client merely inserted his arm into the window and removed a few trifling articles. His arm is not himself, and I fail to see how you can punish the whole individual for an offense committed by his limb.’
    ‘Well put, ‘ the judge replied. ‘Using your logic, I sentence the defendant’s arm to one year’s imprisonment. He can accompany it or not, as he chooses.’
    The defendant smiled. With his lawyer’s assistance he detached his artificial limb, laid it on the bench, and walked out.

  17. With respect to George Bush’s comment, it probably would have been better if we had 6 fingers and toes, instead of 5, as the usual case. We might have adopted base 12 instead of base 10, and there would be fewer repeating fractions in common usage.

    —-

    Q: What is purple and has one side and one edge?
    A: A Mobius grape.

    Q: What is purple and commutes?
    A: An Abelian grape.

  18. @ Bootoomee – Go right on ahead – glad if someone enjoys it as maths was a big pain for me !Here’s sum more !

    Three men are in a hot-air balloon. Soon, they find themselves lost in a canyon somewhere. One of the three men says, “I’ve got an idea. We can call for help in this canyon and the echo will carry our voices far. “So he leans over the basket and yells out, “Helllloooooo! Where are we?” (They hear the echo several times.)
    15 minutes later, they hear this echoing voice: “Helllloooooo! You’re lost!!” One of the men says, “That must have been a mathematician.” Puzzled, one of the other men asks, “Why do you say that?” The reply: “For three reasons. (1) he took a long time to answer, (2) he was absolutely correct, and (3) his answer was absolutely useless.”

    Q: What does the little mermaid wear?
    A: An algae-bra.

    Dad, can you help me find the lowest common denominator in this problem please ?
    Don’t tell me that they haven’t found it yet, I remember looking for it when I was a boy!

    Teacher: Did your parents help you with these homework problems?
    Pupil: No I got them all wrong by myself !

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