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Home Office disc found in laptop by PC firm

11:07am Thursday 28th February 2008

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A CONFIDENTIAL Home Office disc was found in a laptop being repaired at a Bolton company.

Police seized the CD-Rom from Leapfrog Computers in Westhoughton after it had been discovered hidden inside the computer - which had been bought on internet auction site eBay.

A technician at the firm in School Street was working on the laptop when he found the disc, marked "Home Office Confidential", hidden under the keyboard.

Founder and managing director Lee Bevan contacted police, who spent three hours interviewing him.

Then they spoke to the technician before taking away the computer and the disc, which was encrypted and unreadable, for further examination.

Mr Bevan, aged 36, said: "The disc had been put inside the laptop on purpose. As soon as we found it, we contacted the police, who came immediately.

"I'm just glad it's turned up here rather than landing in the wrong hands.

"I don't know where the disc has come from. I have never seen a disc stored in this way before."

Mr Bevan said his customer had bought the laptop in good faith from eBay and had no idea the disc was there.

Staff at Leapfrog are being finger-printed and having DNA swabs to rule them out of the investigation. A police spokesman said: "A laptop has been recovered and inquiries are continuing."

A Home Office spokesman added: "We understand that encrypted IT equipment has been handed to Greater Manchester Police. Both the laptop and the disc were encrypted, thus safeguarding any information that might be stored on them.

"Investigations are now under way. It would be inappropriate to comment further."

The Government has been rocked by several data losses in recent months, including two from the NHS in Bolton.

In November, Chancellor Alistair Darling admitted that the details of 25 million child benefit claimants had gone missing when two CDs containing the information had been lost in the post.

Locally, two computers were stolen from the Royal Bolton Hospital last year. Details included on the PCs was information about cancer and chest patients.

Earlier this month, Bolton Primary Care Trust revealed that the records of 3,200 patients were dumped at a landfill site instead of being burned or shredded.

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Your Say YourThe Bolton News

Andy Jones, says...
1:43pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Until they can ID the data, it sounds like someone having a laugh to me.

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yonmons, Portsmouth says...
2:12pm Thu 28 Feb 08

I absolutely agree Andy, I smell a big wind up, but mind you, some nice national publicity for the little shop in Westhoughton, hope they arent made to look silly by it all.

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taxpayer, Horwich says...
3:25pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Andy Jones and Yonmons... are you both on medication?
Lee Bevin has a highly successfull company and certainly dors not need to pull a stupid publicity stunt as you suggest.

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yonmons, Portsmouth says...
4:17pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Not suggesting he pulled "a publicity stunt" at all...except..he may well have fallen for it. Time will tell.

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john, bolton says...
5:03pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Databases are useful and a good idea unfortunately this government is p1ss-poor at running anything and the civil service is worse. Still they keep on getting knighthoods and the data still gets lost so business as usual.

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SR, Bolton says...
5:12pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Staff at Leapfrog are being finger-printed and having DNA swabs to rule them out of the investigation.


What a load of codswallop. The staff need to speak to a lawyer before undergoing any of this DNA sawbbing or fingerprinting. Typical over-reaction by GMP yet again, yet where are they when the drunken yobs are running riot around Westhoughton? Nowhere to be seen, unless the BN are around

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notlob, Bolton says...
5:34pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Something stinks about all this. Who tipped the press off ? Can't see it being the police or the govt. It must have been Mr Bevan, after some free publicity. And a home office confidential CD labelled "Home Office Confidential" ! Come off it.

On theregister.co.uk, he is quoted as saying "We put the disk in the drive to see what it was, but it was encrypted. As soon as I saw it belonged to the Home Office I placed it in the company safe and called the police."

He can't have done both - the CD was labelled "home office" so does the safe have a CD drive or is he talking a load of contradictory cobblers ?

This story has got more holes than a seive. I'm not sure who is more stupid, Lee Bevan or the media.

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RockyReturns, says...
5:56pm Thu 28 Feb 08

IT was in the public interest for him to expose this information leak.


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michelle, Bolton says...
6:07pm Thu 28 Feb 08

You all seem jealous to me, why would Lee need his honesty testing? He has been a very successful company for the last 8 years, a princes trust mentor and helps Bolton Council get EU funding which goes into all communties, business grants etc that you the Boltonpeople all benefit from.
You need to watch your comments before you getted sued for slander, the only people that get gain are the criminals that steal stuff in the first instance. Say the disc had your personal details, bank details etc on are you happy that it was handed in or are you not concerned???????
If it was not for honest hard working people like Lee were would the country be?????


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notlob, Bolton says...
6:08pm Thu 28 Feb 08

"It was in the public interest for him to expose this information leak."

"Id agree with that Lee Bevan is a very respected guy."

"Knows his stuff and is a fairly decent businessman"

Come on Lee, this is you isn't it ?

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bwfc season ticket holder, gt lever says...
6:08pm Thu 28 Feb 08

now i'm watching it on tele
how much has he saved on tv advertising

now that is clever business

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RockyReturns, says...
6:09pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Nope.


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michelle, Bolton says...
6:14pm Thu 28 Feb 08

You all seem jealous to me, why would Lee need his honesty testing? He has been a very successful company for the last 8 years, a princes trust mentor and helps Bolton Council get EU funding which goes into all communties, business grants etc that you the Boltonpeople all benefit from.
You need to watch your comments before you getted sued for slander, the only people that get gain are the criminals that steal stuff in the first instance. Say the disc had your personal details, bank details etc on are you happy that it was handed in or are you not concerned???????
If it was not for honest hard working people like Lee were would the country be?????


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tracy, w/h, westhoughton says...
8:46pm Thu 28 Feb 08

I have known Lee & his family for years and DO NOT believe he would do anything some people are suggesting. I have always found him to be honest, trustworthy etc. If you knew Lee personally or have had dealings with him, I doubt you would have the same opinion.

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RockyReturns, says...
11:02pm Thu 28 Feb 08


"Id agree with that Lee Bevan is a very respected guy."

"Knows his stuff and is a fairly decent businessman"


Like I said

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wifey, breightmet says...
11:29pm Thu 28 Feb 08

half the comments on here are pathectic! for the hassle and name being slandered,maybe now he's wondering why he bothered. maybe he should have just put it back so that someone could use half the arseholes on here I.D!

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wifey, breightmet says...
11:30pm Thu 28 Feb 08

half the comments on here are pathectic! for the hassle and name being slandered,maybe now he's wondering why he bothered. maybe he should have just put it back so that someone could use half the arseholes on here I.D!

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the hangman, end of the noose says...
11:36pm Thu 28 Feb 08

Now as the IDIOT POLICE have taken dna and finger printed the staff at leapfrog does this tell people that if they find something no-matter how Confidential to contact them to be treated like criminals.

This just shows the police as total idiots I know the disc could have been copied but if the person that bought the pc and the idiots had any sense they would have asked to see where it was bought from and trace it back the way,
Even Sherlock Holmes would have known that it is just a total pity the police that wear that uniform should wear the Ronald McDonald uniforms.

And to hold him for 3 hours trying to think of asking the only question they should have asked and more than likely didn`t (Which should have been!!! Where did you buy it from). But the best is taking the DNA do the bloody idiots think someone that works at leapfrog has sex with the laptop. Come on Sherlock what the bloody hell is all that about..

A total waste of my money yet again by the idiots.

NOW REMEMBER IF YOU EVER FIND ANYTHING DO9NT TAKE IT TO THOSE IDIOTS (the police AKA plantpots heads)


Ok I forgot if this was a goverment disc did it have the MP`S having cyber-sex on it ????

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notlob, Bolton says...
7:18am Fri 29 Feb 08

This is bizarre. Look, no-one is denying that he did the right thing in reporting it to the police. In fact, full marks to him. But this find is not in the public interest until it is confirmed that this is one of the original missing CDs. The "information leak" is already public knowledge. If I find a bag labelled "Anthrax" I will go to the police. If I find a black sphere with "bomb" written on it I will go to the police. But I would need an ulterior motive to phone the press, and I wouldn't risk it for fear of looking stupid when they turn out to be fakes. As someone said - "clever business".

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yonmons, Portsmouth says...
9:09am Fri 29 Feb 08

Nothing yet has been proved re this CD, it is a CD that alledgedly was found under a laptop keyboard ? NOT a normal place to keep a CD, however if it is the case that the laptop was purchased on ebay, perhaps....bearing in mind nothing has yet been established re the CD content, that leapfrog could be victims of a hoax. No one is doubting the MD`s success in business, or how upstanding he is in the community. BUT before anything has been proved re the CD content, the guy is on sky news, and I notice they even published "the find" on their own website. Time will tell I am sure as to the content of the CD, if it is genuine fair enough, and well done, if not.............perh
aps one could feel rather foolish.

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LeapfrogLee, Westhoughton says...
2:58pm Fri 29 Feb 08

Thank you for your support, good, bad and indifferent. I just felt that I should add this CD was discovered on Monday. If I was to create any scams or false intentions, I would have released the press sooner. I held off the press to protect the consumer and give the Police the time they needed. I suspect any Business person would take full advantage of the marketing opportunity given the chance. I also can understand and accept the negative comments. Everyone is allowed an opinion.
I followed my moral obligations and yes the CD does appear to be genuine on the face of it. Not that I need to answer to anyone, just feel obliged to add to the dispute. Kind regards.

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Al, Bolton says...
9:32pm Sat 1 Mar 08

And these peoples' DNA will be on the 'DNA database' for ever - it won't be removed despite their innocence in this matter.

Taking legal advice, as somebody advised, would not have excused them from having their DNA sampled, I fear...

So embrace the forthcoming 'police state' (may not be the best phrase, I know) with open arms, 'cos it ain't gonna get any better!

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yonmons, Portsmouth says...
3:14pm Tue 4 Mar 08

Fair post Lee, I for one have no doubts over your integrity, or your reasons, it will be interesting to see if the disk is genuine or not. Thats all my arguments (if that what it is) has been all along.

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Comments are closed on this article.

SURPRISED: Lee Bevan, managing director of Leapfrog Computers, contacted the police as soon as his technician found the CD-Rom inside the laptop SURPRISED: Lee Bevan, managing director of Leapfrog Computers, contacted the police as soon as his technician found the CD-Rom inside the laptop

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