A man has been fined £200, for data protection offences relating to publishing the British National Party's membership list last year.

Mathew Single, 37, of Church Lane, Brinsley, Nottinghamshire was fined by Nottingham magistrates after he admitted disclosing data without consent. Charges against his wife, 30-year old Sadi Graham-Single, were dropped.

But Stobart said he was less surprised to find Single was on benefits.

The judge said: "It came as a surprise to me, as it will to many members of the party, that to do something as foolish and as criminally dangerous as you did will only incur a financial penalty.

"It comes as no surprise to me that somebody to do with an organisation that prides itself on Britishness is in fact living off the British people on Job Seeker's Allowance, and that is why the fine is so low as to be ridiculous."

The list went online in November after it was sent to anti-fascist blog Lancaster Unity and caused immediate uproar.

Single must also contribute £100 to prosecution costs. He was previously deputy head of security at the BNP, where his wife was also a party official. The two were expelled, along with several others, for supposedly conspiring against leader Nick Griffin in 2007.

The two were arrested in December 2008 after the list leaked the previous month. The police investigation was aided by the Information Commissioner's Office, which is currently considering its response. ®