"Sutil said: "Somebody took the hard disc out of a computer my father sold on, recognised me and wanted to make some money out of it. But after four days they caught him." "

Sounds like the guy bought it legitimately...

am i wrong here. but if someone throws a pc away and i go ooo a pc and happen to find data on it im not commiting "data theft" just like if i found a letter on the street and went "whats this?" and it turned out to be gordon browns credt card statement. also since when is selling something to a 3rd party black mail unless you try and extort something from the origional owner? and also an honest editor? whats the world coming too! i bet the star would have bought it!

Sutil was the one potentially targeted, it was after all his computer?

For God's sake, don't go all ITV on us, El Reg. Lewis Hamilton isn't the be all and end all of F1 :D

I'm pretty sure selling on somone else's data, and advertising it as such, IS covered under the data protection act (If i'm worng, i'd be happy to be corrected). It doesn't matter who you sell it too, your still 'knowingly' seling on somone elses data too a third party.

The Editor who tipped off the police will get a story out of this anyway, and by taking the less scandelous option, may come out of this looking like he's got some journalistic integrity. Win-Win for him realy.

Quick, Call Stefan Eriksson! We've found his driver!

I'm probably being cynical and skeptical but it's about page hits, adverts and the like - just like ITV.

If the title said "Sutil and friend targetted in blackmain plot" I probably wouldn't have known who he was, not cared... and left it at that. The Lewis angle will make people read it. Still... "and friend" is a bit cruel.

That and also, the magazine probably cared more about Hamiliton too.

Now there is an oxymoron...

I don't see a crime here. The disk was bought legally not stolen. The information was on the disk, due to an incomplete wipe. The accused offered the disk to the Editor of a magazine in return for cash, doesn't sound too different from the Paps. No attempt to extort anything from Sutil or Hamilton, so its not blackmail. No theft. No crime.

Of course IAMAL but I would expect a lawyer to have a field day with this.

Seeing as this all happened in Germany I'm fairly sure that this isn't covered by the DPA.

On the other hand it may be covered by the German equivalent.

IAMAL? I am mostly a lawyer? I AM a lawyer? I am Mick, a lawyer? I am Al?

One totally screwed platter. Why do some IT managers think it is OK to 'throw' a 'wiped' HDD away

Stupid, just stupid.

Agreed. The title is completely misleading, when I first read this on Friday (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67267 - take yur time eh?) there wasn't even a mention of Hamilton.

It didn't get a mention on my usual F1 haunt, so shoot me ;)

Gave my name away. That's my rep ruined ;)

The story is about Adrian Sutil!

Too true, it made me read it as i like to see things go wrong for the over-hyped not as good as everyone makes out driver.....

Shame he wasn't involved in any Nazi orgies or something and there were pictures on it as that would have given the press a dilemma and a half... golden boy in doing something wrong shocker!!

I don't understand this, why are so many people so vitriolic in their dislike of Hamilton? It's not his fault the media have made a huge circus of the fact he's the first black man to drive in F1, and like it or not he is a very very good driver, if still a little green around the gills. Schumacher was no different when he started, the raw talent was obviously there but just needed a couple of years to properly bed into F1.

Don't hate the man, hate the media for the ridiculously disproportionate hype they have built up..