Man in Court Over Disclosure of Thetford Asylum Seeker Accommodation Addresses
A 62-year-old employee of the outsourcing company Serco has appeared in court charged with misconduct in a public office, accused of releasing information about addresses in Thetford that were subsequently targeted by crowds during nights of violent disorder.
An employee of the outsourcing firm Serco has been charged with misconduct in a public office over the alleged release of addresses used to accommodate asylum seekers in Thetford, Norfolk. James Jobson, 62, of Highlow Road in Costessey, near Norwich, appeared before Ipswich Magistrates' Court on Monday and was remanded in custody. He is scheduled to appear at Norwich Crown Court on 14 September.
The charge relates to events between 3 and 14 August, when houses on St John's Way, Bracken Road, Clover Way, Elm Road and Chester Way in Thetford were targeted by crowds over three nights. The court heard that Jobson, acting as a public officer for Serco, "wilfully and without reasonable excuse, or justification" committed misconduct that "amounted to an abuse of the public's trust in the office". Norfolk Police confirmed the charge was in connection with the "release of information relating to a number of addresses in Thetford, which were later targeted during several nights of violent disorder in the town".
Serco, which provides accommodation for asylum seekers on behalf of the government, said the matter was being handled by the police and that it was co-operating fully. A spokesperson declined to comment further, citing the ongoing legal process. The case has drawn attention to the tensions surrounding the dispersal of asylum seekers to local communities and the security of sensitive information held by private contractors operating on behalf of the state. The defendant, who has not entered a plea, remains in custody pending his next court appearance.