Teenager Fined for Leaking Referee's Personal Information After Controversial Match

A teenager has been fined after sharing personal details of football referee John Beaton, leading to the official and his family requiring police protection.

Corey Davies, 19, used his position at the motor firm Park’s of Hamilton to photograph a job card containing Mr. Beaton’s wife’s car details after she left it for repairs. Davies then shared an image of the job card, which included personal information, within a Snapchat group. The information subsequently leaked further, resulting in Mr. Beaton receiving dozens of calls from unknown numbers and police being called to ensure the safety of him and his family.

Mr. Beaton and his family were forced to spend a night under police protection due to the incident. An internal investigation at Park's led to Davies admitting to taking the photo and subsequent dismissal from his job. He appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to breaching data protection laws.

During the court proceedings, it was stated that the Scottish Football Association (SFA) informed Mr. Beaton that a staff member at Park's had leaked his personal information, which included his home address, his wife’s car registration, and both of their mobile numbers. This led Mr. Beaton to believe his number had been compromised due to the volume of calls received.

Davies' defense lawyer noted that while Davies had access to the data through his job, the wider public dissemination was due to the actions of others. He added that there was no ill-will towards Mr. Beaton, but acknowledged Davies should not have taken or sent the image. The Sheriff presiding over the case described Davies’ actions as "a pretty immature and stupid thing to do" and highlighted that Davies had "paid a heavy price for that and lost your job."

Davies was fined £706, a reduction from £1,000, acknowledging his admission of guilt. The SFA released a statement following the incident, expressing concern that the safety of match officials was being endangered by "vigilantism" and criticized conduct towards officials from various footballing figures and bodies.