A university archaeology lecturer has appeared in court on more than 140 charges related to the hacking of students’ personal data and harassment.
University College Dublin (UCD) assistant professor Stephen Davis is accused of using “a piece of software to steal students’ passwords and access their accounts”.
The 53-year-old accused, a British national with an address at Elgin Wood, Killarney Road, Bray, Co Wicklow, allegedly harassed about 50 students, but Dublin District Court heard the case involves more than 100 victims in total.
The prosecution follows an investigation by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) into the use of malicious software (malware) which began in 2023.
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David faces 148 charges in total, including multiple counts of harassment, as well as breaches of sections two and eight (1) of the Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Act 2017.
It is alleged he “did without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, intentionally access an information system by infringing a security measure”.
The offences are said to have taken place at various locations, including the UCD campus, Belfield, Donnybrook, Dublin 4; an office at the university; and his home address on various dates in 2023.
Davis did not address the court on Friday and has not yet entered a plea to the charges. There was no objection to bail, the terms of which had been agreed, defence counsel Noah Rossiter informed Judge Gerard Jones.
The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed he face trial on indictment in the Circuit Court, which, on conviction, has broader sentencing powers.
The judge granted an adjournment to allow prosecutors to complete a book of evidence, which must be served on the accused before he is returned for trial to the higher court.
He was ordered to appear again in the District Court on July 24th.
Det Garda Colin Noonan of the GNCCB told the judge the accused was arrested at his home address at 7.21am on Friday.
The court heard Davis was cautioned and indicated that he understood the caution and the reason for his arrest. He was charged with 148 offences.
Noonan said the accused faces 51 charges of harassment under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act and 96 charges of unlawfully accessing an information system.
The final charge relates to unlawfully using software to access an information system.
Rossiter, instructed by solicitor Brendan Maloney, said his client has surrendered his passport.
Following further queries from the judge, Noonan alleged the case involved UCD campus accounts and the “use of a piece of software to steal students’ passwords and access their accounts”. The more serious charges relate to the nature of personal material stolen.
The judge ordered Davis to sign on two days a week at his local garda station and to stay away from the library in Bray.
It was noted in court that the detective had agreed that the accused co-operated with the investigation. The officer added that Davis was still employed by UCD.
Cashless bail was set at €100 and Rossiter said the defence was reserving its position about applying for legal aid.
