Police anger at Facebook in hunt for killer of schoolgirl
DETECTIVES investigating the murder of schoolgirl Lucy McHugh may have to wait at least six months for Facebook to hand over the prime suspect’s password, it emerged last night.
The case is one of thousands of criminal investigations in Britain being hamstrung by delays in obtaining vital evidence from the social media giant.
As Facebook faced a growing backlash, Britain’s top police officer Cressida Dick said technology firms should be forced to hand over crucial evidence in criminal cases ‘within minutes’.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said officers are often blocked from obtaining vital evidence or forced to go through ‘a very protracted procedure’ to obtain information from social media companies.
Detectives investigating 13-year-old Lucy’s murder have been forced to apply to American judges for a court order demanding that US-based Facebook hands over crucial evidence.
Officers are desperate to access accounts belonging to tattoo artist Stephen Nicholson, who was jailed for 14 months on Friday for refusing to reveal his password to police.
But controversially, Facebook has refused to hand it over.
Instead, officers from Hampshire Police have been forced to apply to the US Justice Department for access to Nicholson’s accounts.
In a tortuous process, detectives had to submit a request letter which is passed through six different organisations – two in the UK and four in the US – before Facebook is served with a warrant. Last night, the social media giant admitted this process takes ‘at least six months’ to complete.
By the time Hampshire Police obtain the password, Nicholson could be out of jail, having served half his sentence for obstructing the investigation.
Detective Superintendent Paul Barton, who is heading the murder investigation, said it was a ‘challenge’ to obtain information from the US-based social media giant.
Security Minister Ben Wallace said: ‘We have been absolutely clear that the police and prosecuting authorities must be able to detect, investigate and secure convictions in serious criminal cases.
‘I agree that access to vital information needs to happen as quickly as possible.’ He said the Government had introduced a Bill to enable police and prosecutors to access electronic information directly from companies based overseas.
Senior MPs described Facebook’s behaviour as ‘unacceptable’ and demanded the company stop acting ‘above the law’.
Former children’s minister Tim Loughton, a Tory member of the Home Affairs select committee, said: ‘This is just yet another example of the social media giants acting as if they are above the law and sticking two fingers up at law enforcement agencies tasked to keep us safe.’
Tory MP Damian Collins, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sports committee, described the situation as ‘unacceptable’. He said: ‘We expect Facebook to quickly and routinely respond to requests for information from police in murder cases like this one.’
Fellow Tory MP Simon Hart, who sits on the same committee, added: ‘I find it mystifying that Facebook thinks it can still come up with excuses and that they haven’t leapt at an opportunity to do the right thing at the right time to help.’
Their intervention came after Lucy’s mother, Stacey White, accused the social media giant of denying her justice in yesterday’s Daily Mail. It has been almost six weeks since her daughter was stabbed to death and dumped in woods near a sports centre in Southampton.
Nicholson, 24, was arrested on suspicion of murder and of engaging in sexual activity with a child.
He refused to give detectives the passwords to his Facebook accounts and was charged with failing to co-operate with police.
Facebook can charge police forces for vital information in criminal investigations, saying it ‘may seek reimbursement for costs in responding to requests for information’.
The web giant says that these unspecified fees apply on a caseby-case basis.
However, it may waive them in investigations linked to ‘potential harm to children’.
‘Process takes at least six months’ ‘Acting like they are above law’