This article is more than 1 year old

Londoner admits illegally accessing National Lottery accounts

Sentencing due in January for Sentry MBA shenanigans

A London hacker is facing jail after he admitted illegally accessing National Lottery gambling accounts.

Anwar Batson, 29, used automated hacking suite Sentry MBA to carry out his offences. At Southwark Crown Court yesterday he admitted four offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Sentry MBA is used to ferret out valid username and password combinations for later credential-stuffing attacks, as explained here.

Batson, of Lancaster Road in London's Ladbroke Grove, spoke only to confirm his name and admit the four computer misuse charges. These were brought under sections 2(1)(b), 3A(2) and 3A(3) of the act.

Three other charges of fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and "obtaining an article to supply for use to commit a computer misuse offence" were left to lie on file after he denied them.

His Honour Judge Michael Grieve QC adjourned sentencing until 10 January and ordered reports into Batson's offending. Daniel Kersh, the accused's barrister, told the court: "He is 29 years of age, he has no previous convictions. He has been in work from 2018. These offences go back to 2016. The application for a report is requested to see if there [is] an alternative to a custodial sentence."

Batson appeared wearing a plain white shirt with his long black hair in a ponytail, as reported by top news agency Central News, aka Court News UK, which also published a photo of him.

It can now be revealed that Batson was originally accused of conspiring with two others who were jailed in 2018. Camelot, operators of the National Lottery, reportedly spent £200,000 investigating the attacks on its systems and tightening up security. Batson has denied this accusation and prosecutors have left it to lie on file.

Statistically speaking, his chances of a prison sentence are low, as The Register revealed in an exclusive analysis of prosecution and sentencing data earlier this year. ®

Bootnote

HHJ Grieve QC was last seen on The Register questioning why a defendant appearing before him had been charged with a crime at all.

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like