Email data hack was ‘malicious stitch-up’

A FAKE account on an adultery website in the name of Michelle Thomson was created by a man in her old constituency, the ex-MP has revealed.

Just months after becoming an MP, Mrs Thomson was splashed across the front pages after the personal details of 37 million members of Ashley Madison – a website for people seeking affairs – were released by hackers.

An old email address used by Mrs Thomson was among those harvested by hackers but it later emerged this was because a fake account had been set up in her name just before the 2015 election.

The address was one published on Mrs Thomson’s campaign leaflets.

Mrs Thomson said: “The data showed it was an unverified address and there were no credit card details.

“The media knew it was a stitch-up job, the police investigated and it was a man in my constituency who had done it maliciously.

“They didn’t charge the person because at that time it was not an offence to pretend to be somebody else in this way.

“When you look at the data there were men in public life who appeared to be legitimate users of that database.

“I make no comment on what people do in their private life, but the point is that was the start of all this.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Inquiries into a complaint received in September 2015, relating to an account on a dating website, have concluded and information was provided to the Procurator Fiscal.”