A 17-year-old youth arrested on suspicion of hacking into the Eircom Internet system is likely to be dealt with as a juvenile and not face charges.
Under the law convicted hackers can face up to 10 years' imprisonment for computer crime.
Officers from the computer unit of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation arrested the youth on Sunday after searching his Co Wicklow home and confiscating more than one computer. The security breach on August 17th led to 30,000 Eircom e-mail accounts being compromised and passwords having to be changed.
Det Insp Eugene Gallagher, who heads the seven-strong computer crime unit, said the investigation had been "challenging" but the detectives were pleased with their work on the case.
The youth was taken to Wicklow town Garda station and detained under the Criminal Damage Act, 1991, and questioned in connection with damage to computer data. He gave a statement before being released at around 9 p.m. A file has been sent to the DPP. It is understood the youth, who has left school but is not employed, may be dealt with under the juvenile liaison scheme. This involves a young person who admits a crime receiving a caution. A Garda spokesman said the juvenile liaison scheme aimed to prevent young people with no previous criminal record from being convicted. Home visits by a plainclothes garda and parental involvement are elements of it.
Det Insp Gallagher said his unit had built up the necessary technical and investigative expertise to collate evidence admissible in court. "We use traditional investigative techniques, but what is different is that we all have a background in IT and have been equipped with particular specialist hardware and software.
"We have systems which allow us to retrieve computer evidence forensically and to essentially take a copy of what is on a computer when we find it," he said.
A spokeswoman for Eircom said it would be inappropriate for the company to comment as the case was a Garda matter. "The DPP will ultimately decide what course of action to take, and Eircom will be co-operating in any way possible with the gardai," she added.