Standing in the dock next to Wandii, Pad and Gandalf pleaded guilty to
two computer conspiracy charges: conspiring to dishonestly obtain
telecommunications services, and conspiring to cause unauthorised
modification to computer material. Pad also pleaded guilty to a third
charge: causing damage to a computer. This last charge related to the
almost a quarter of
a million pounds worth of `damage' to the Central London Polytechnic.
Unlike the Australians' case, none of the British hackers faced
charges about specific sites such as NASA.
Pad and Gandalf pleaded guilty because they didn't think they had much
choice. Their lawyers told them that, in light of the evidence,
denying their guilt was simply not a realistic option. Better to throw
yourself on the mercy of the court, they advised. As if to underline
the point, Gandalf's lawyer had told him after a meeting at the end of
1992, `I'd like to wish you a happy Christmas, but I don't think it's
going to be one'.
Wandii's lawyers disagreed. Standing beside his fellow hackers, Wandii
pleaded not guilty to three conspiracy charges: plotting to gain
unauthorised access to computers, conspiring to make unauthorised
modifications to computer material, and conspiring to obtain
telecommunications services dishonestly.
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