Victim of serious crime receives compensation for data breach by public inquiry

A victim of serious crime whose personal information was shared by a public inquiry with third parties in a serious personal data breach has been paid compensation greater than the amounts awarded by courts thus far, it has been reported.

Law firm Deighton Pierce Glynn said the effect of the public inquiry’s data breach prevented its client “from seeking accountability for the serious crimes of which they were a victim and caused them serious distress and mental health problems as a consequence”.

A claim was brought for breach of data protection legislation and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Daniel Carey of Deighton Pierce Glynn, who represented the victim, said: “This was a serious data breach with serious consequences for our client. It is notable that the compensation agreed in this case exceeded the amounts awarded by the courts for breach of data protection legislation to date.”