Ex-Pub Boss Caught Hacking Till Systems After Being Sacked
James Murphy, 25, a former manager of two East Sussex pubs, has been convicted for hacking into their till systems. After being dismissed in November 2022, Murphy threatened to sabotage the pubs’ systems—and he did just that.
Early Morning Hack Causes Chaos at Two Pubs
In the dead of night on December 2, 2022, at around 2am, Murphy remotely accessed the tills at The Roebuck Inn in Laughton and The Barley Mow Inn in Starrs Barn. He erased food and drink prices, tampered with the pricing structure, and even tried to alter the pubs’ floor plans.
The disruptions disrupted business badly, forcing the pub owner to call in extra staff to fix the mess and reopen both venues.
Cyber Crime Unit Traces Hacker to Tunbridge Wells Pub
Sussex and Surrey Police’s South East Cyber Crime Unit launched a full investigation. They tracked Murphy down at a Tunbridge Wells pub and executed a warrant in January 2023. They seized his devices and found evidence on his phone and laptop showing he’d made the illegal changes.
Sentenced to Community Order and Unpaid Work
Murphy pleaded guilty to unauthorised computer access and was sentenced at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on May 13. He received a 12-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work, and must pay £2,008 compensation.
“Any computer system can be vulnerable to hacking and this can put any business at risk,” said Detective Sergeant Joel Finney of the South East Cyber Crime Unit. “We were able to track down the offender and put them before the courts.”
“We urge businesses to use strong, unique passwords—like three random words—and multi-factor authentication. Also, remove access immediately once an employee leaves.”
“Our Cyber Crime Unit offers free cyber security training for community groups and small businesses. Interested? Email [email protected].”
