A hacker from Hitchin was one of three men fined after pleading guilty to hacking the computer system of a business competitor.

James Entwisle, 42, of Westfield Close in Hitchin, worked for a Hertford-based company along with 37-year-old Matthew Etherington from Hertford and 33-year-old Wayne Boltwood from Crawley.

The three men gained access to a competitor's server and studied software belonging to the other company over a period of several years.

All three pleaded guilty at St Albans Crown Court to conspiracy to commit unauthorised access to a computer. Entwisle and Etherington were both fined £1,500, and Boltwood was fined £750.

Det Con Richard Bagworth, of Herts police's Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: "These men were senior members of staff in a software development company and sought to gain a business advantage over a competitor.

"Although this kind of malpractice in the technology sector is complex in nature, we have demonstrated that it can be detected and we will pursue offenders.

"I hope that these fines handed out will deter other people from employing these kinds of business tactics."