Operation Motorman was a 2003 investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office into allegations of offences under the Data Protection Act by the British press.
[3] The ICO later obtained search warrants for the Hampshire office of a private detective Steve Whittamore.
[5] A huge cache of documents revealed, in precise detail, a network of police and public employees illegally selling personal information obtained from government computer systems.
[9] In November 2011, just a few days before Owens was due to give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, his home was raided under warrant by Cheshire Police.
[citation needed] On 9 April 2012, right-wing political blogger Paul Staines published information on over 1,000 News International requests to Whittamore from the Operation Motorman files.