The Info Commissioner’s Workplace (ICO) has discovered inadequate proof to prosecute two individuals suspected of leaking CCTV footage of Matt Hancock kissing his former aide, Gina Coladangelo.
The regulator launched a felony investigation after it obtained a report of a private information breach from DHSC’s CCTV operator, EMCOR Group plc.
Mr Hancock stop in June final 12 months after The Solar printed photos taken on 6 Could 2021 displaying him in an embrace with Ms Coladangelo.
The video taken in Could reveals the well being secretary opening a door and checking to see if anyone is round earlier than motioning to Gina Coladangelo.
The 43-year-old aide walks in direction of Mr Hancock earlier than they change into entwined collectively in a passionate embrace within the corridors of energy at Whitehall.
Given the seriousness of the report and the broader implications it doubtlessly had for the safety of data throughout authorities, the ICO mentioned it had a authorized obligation to hold out an neutral evaluation of the proof obtainable to find out if there had been a breach of the legislation.
Forensic evaluation revealed that the leaked photos had been more than likely obtained by somebody recording the CCTV footage screens with a cell phone.
Six telephones retrieved through the execution of search warrants didn’t comprise the related CCTV footage. After taking authorized recommendation, the ICO concluded that there was inadequate proof to cost anybody with felony offences beneath the Knowledge Safety Act 2018.
Consequently the ICO confirmed it might be closing its investigation.
In a tell-all interview with The Diary of a CEO podcast in February, Mr Hancock has now revealed he “fell in love with any individual” and it “all occurred in a short time” – however insisted he didn’t break the legislation.
He mentioned: “I resigned as a result of I broke the social distancing pointers.
“By then, they weren’t really guidelines, they weren’t the legislation. However that’s not the purpose.
“The purpose is that they had been the rules that I’d been proposing. That occurred as a result of I fell in love with any individual.”
Two-metre social distancing steering was in place on the time, whereas a ban on hugging between individuals in several households wasn’t lifted till two weeks later.
Ms Coladangelo, whom Mr Hancock met after they each labored in pupil radio at Oxford College, was a non-executive director on the Division of Well being on the time, incomes at the least £15,000 a 12 months.
Mr Hancock informed the podcast Ms Coladangelo, whom he has identified “for greater than half [his] life”, was introduced in to assist with public communications.
Mr Hancock was additionally eager to emphasize that his and Ms Coladangelo’s relationship was not “informal intercourse”.
The then-health secretary had warned individuals to “watch out” in regards to the danger of coronavirus when these guidelines had been relaxed in September 2020 for {couples} in “established relationships”.
A visibly uncomfortable Mr Hancock requested Mr Bartlett to start out the part of questioning once more with out the reference to informal intercourse.
“I haven’t had informal intercourse with anyone,” he mentioned. “I fell in love with any individual.”