Stanford resigned from the company in 2002.
Cliff Stanford is a well-known figure in the internet industry.
He founded Demon Internet in 1992 and sold it in 1998 to Scottish
Telecom for £66 million (Scottish Telecom subsequently re-branded
as Thus), netting Stanford around £30 million.
According to reports, allegations surfaced in October 2003 that
Stanford had been involved in hacking the email system of Redbus.
He and another man, George Nelson Liddell, were questioned by
police over the interception of emails between Redbus' former
chairman John Porter, and Porter's mother, the former Westminster
council leader, Dame Shirley Porter.
Both men were charged with offences under the Computer Misuse
Act and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) of 2000,
say reports. They deny the charges.
The case, which went to trial yesterday, is expected to take two
weeks.
