Computer hackers who stole Michael Jackson music sentenced

Two men charged with hacking into Sony Music's computers and stealing Michael Jackson's back catalogue have been sentenced to 100 hours community punishment.

Sony record company bosses purchased the music collection from the Bad hitmaker's estate for £156 million back in 2010, but the label's archive was infiltrated by cyber crooks a year later.

James Marks and James McCormick were taken into custody and charged with computer misuse and copyright offences after allegedly illegally downloading 8,000 digital files and never-before-heard Jackson songs.

Both British men pleaded not guilty in 2012 and were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.