A 21-year-old student who accessed computer records at the Whitehouse Institute of Design and then leaked information about a scholarship awarded to Frances Abbott, the daughter of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, to a website pleaded guilty to a charge of accessing restricted data in a Sydney court today.
Freya Rachael Sommerville Newman, a creative writing and cultural studies student at The University of Technology, told the court through her solicitor that she admitted using her position as a part-time librarian at the Institute to access information about a $60,000 Director’s Scholarship awarded to Frances Abbott in 2011.
A police statement of facts tended to the court says that Ms Newman used the name and password of another institute employee – without that person’s knowledge – to gain access to the student records.
The statement says that Ms Newman then emailed two other employees, saying: “… there’s a bit about Frances meeting with Leanne J, the CEO of Whitehouse Institute on February 21, 2011 and then receiving a Managing Director’s Scholarship three days later”.
Shortly after, the document says, Ms Newman sent another email, writing: “Got ‘em – might go and see Chris now and talk tactics”.
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Chris, say police, refers to Chris Graham, the publisher and editor of internet website New Matilda, which published an article about the scholarship and Ms Abbott the following day.
The Whitehouse Institute has consistently denied giving Ms Abbott any preferential treatment in the awarding of the scholarship.
Ms Newman will appear in the Downing centre Local Court October 23 for sentencing. The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years’ jail under section 308(H) of the NSW Crimes Act.
