Leon Walker from Michigan faces trial after opening his wife’s Gmail account to discover she was having an affair
Leon Walker was charged after opening up the Gmail account of his wife, Clara. Photograph: Alex Segre/Rex Features
A Michigan man has been charged under anti-hacking legislation designed to protect trade secrets after logging on to his wife’s email account and discovering she was having an affair.
Leon Walker, 33, faces a trial lawyers say could have significant repercussions given that nearly half of US divorce cases involve some form of snooping, such as reading emails, text messages or social networking.
Walker was charged after opening the Gmail account of his wife, Clara, who was married twice previously. Walker found she was having an affair with her second husband, who had once been arrested for beating her in front of her young son from her first husband.