For over 15 years, a Brighton-based Cyber Analyst and Engineer has been subjected to unjust persecution by Sussex Police—not because of any wrongdoing on his part, but because he exposed their failures and corruption. His ordeal began when he reported concerns about sexual abuse involving minors, only to find himself targeted, discredited, and falsely accused.
The Whistleblower Becomes the Target
The analyst had used a self-destructing email system to send his report—an innovative technique designed to protect the sensitive information. However, instead of addressing the serious allegations, Sussex Police arrested him in 2008, charging him with harassment and computer misuse. Officers Bobby Newton and Lee Craig carried out the arrest, using a name the analyst had only ever used in Brighton’s nightlife scene.
Having Asperger’s, he had long maintained separate online and personal identities—a security-conscious approach that the police completely misunderstood. Up until his wrongful arrest, they had never even referred to him by his chosen alias.
Even more disturbingly, the officers knew his home address—not through an investigation, but because they had previously attended his house parties. Among them, PC Bobby Newton stood out—a prominent figure in Brighton’s gay party scene and allegedly a regular cocaine user. Rather than investigating his sexual abuse claims, the police retaliated against him, turning justice into persecution.
The Police Exploiting Neurodivergence
Individuals with Asperger’s and Autism tend to be forthcoming, loyal, and honest—traits that Sussex Police weaponized against him. They twisted his transparency into admissions of guilt, failing to understand that neurodivergent individuals only become defensive when their trust is first broken.
His ordeal left lasting trauma, including severe claustrophobia, after being wrongfully remanded in custody. Ironically, while being detained, he felt a brief sense of relief—for four months, he was free from both his abusive ex-partner and his manipulative mother, who had spent years fabricating complaints against him to the police.
The Dangerous Connection Between Nightlife and Law Enforcement
His suspicions deepened when nightclub staff and bouncers began referencing personal details about his family—details only law enforcement should have known. It became clear that a leak within Sussex Police was sharing his private information with third parties.
He later discovered that many of Brighton’s major nightclubs, including Revenge and Vavoom, had their security teams staffed by ex-police officers. Some of these venues had long-standing reputations for illegal activities, including:
- Allowing underage individuals into adult-only venues
- Enabling a growing network of underage rent boys
- Allegations of drug trade connections
A Disturbing Raid with Falsified Charges
In 2007, his fears were confirmed when, without warning, two Sussex Police officers stormed his bedroom and seized all of his computer equipment. Their claim? That he had allegedly hacked into the now-defunct Sassco systems—where these officers had previously worked—and had intentionally deleted an email.
Yet, there was zero evidence to support their claim. The email had self-destructed automatically, a feature they failed to comprehend. Instead of admitting their technical incompetence, they falsified accusations to justify the raid.
The incident was akin to calling the police and reporting that Barney the Dinosaur was attacking people with a feather, only to have 30 officers storm in with tasers—an absurd, overblown reaction based entirely on ignorance.
Exposing the Truth and Retaliation from Sussex Police
Determined to set the record straight, he contacted Ben Parsons at The Argus, along with other media outlets, providing evidence of police misconduct. The public pressure led to both Bobby Newton and his accomplices being dismissed—a small victory. However, his reputation remained tainted.
The falsified “hacker” label—based on completely fabricated intel about self-destructing emails—was never removed from his record, allowing police to use it as a weaponized smear whenever they needed to discredit him.
A Cyber Unit with the IQ of a Rodent
Back in 2007, none of the officers investigating cyber-related cases had any formal training in IT security. Sussex Police’s only cyber resource was a tiny, outdated High Tech Crime Unit (HTCU), consisting of a few computers and a basic recovery tool called Raptor.
Even today, their so-called Cyber Division is laughably underqualified—staffed primarily by officers with non-technical backgrounds, including trafficking and street crime divisions. Their technical competence remains embarrassingly low—comparable to that of a small rodent.
Sussex Police: Repeated Blunders and Cybersecurity Failures
Their lack of expertise didn’t just cause inconvenience—it actively compromised public safety. Some of their worst blunders include:
- 2012: Sussex Police ripped out security devices from a smart home, disabling firewalls and endpoint security, leaving the network vulnerable to cyberattacks.
- 2019: Sussex Police raided another smart home, causing significant damage by cutting off:
- Lights, power, and heating
- Door lock functionality
- Phillips Hue smart lighting system (even stealing the control hub, rendering the system useless)
- When he called Sussex Police for help, the response from their contact center was absurd:
- “Just use the switches.”
- Completely ignoring the fact that the system relied on voice activation and hub connectivity.
Personal Attacks, Social Banishment, and Nightlife Corruption
For years, Brighton’s nightclub scene actively blacklisted him, thanks to Sussex Police’s false hacker allegations.
- At 18, he was banned from every club in Kemptown for whistleblowing, despite never committing any wrongdoing.
- Revenge nightclub actively facilitated underage entry, rent boy culture, and drug trade, all while being staffed by ex-police officers.
- The only venue that treated him fairly was Legends, where the staff understood what he had been through.
Even his gay cousins saw how corrupt the system was—using his reputation as a “hacker” as a shield:
“If you touch me, my cousin is a hacker—he will find you.”
It was never encouraged, but it was telling that they relied on his technical expertise rather than the police, who had failed to protect them.
How Did Law Enforcement Adopt the Same Tactics as Predators?
The most unsettling realization came when police officers themselves started referring to him as a hacker—a term previously used by the very same perverts and predators he had exposed.
- How did law enforcement adopt the same narrative as criminals?
- Who was truly pulling the strings behind Sussex Police’s targeting of whistleblowers?
- How deep did the connections between law enforcement and nightlife exploitation really go?
Conclusion: The System Was Never Designed for Justice
The story of Sussex Police’s persecution of a cybersecurity expert is not just a case of incompetence—it is a cautionary tale about how corrupt institutions protect themselves at the expense of the truth.
- A man who exposed sexual abuse was branded a criminal.
- A man who reported club corruption was banned from nightlife.
- A man who built security systems was hunted by officers who barely understood computers.
If this could happen to someone highly educated in cybersecurity, what happens to the average person who dares to challenge institutional corruption?
