The first man to be prosecuted for hijacking a Wi-Fi signal, so-called 'war driving', has been given a 12-month conditional discharge and fined £500.

Gregory Straszkiewicz, 24, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court under sections 125 and 126 of the Communications Act 2003, which bans the use of wireless networks by those who do not subscribe to them.

Straszkiewicz had been using his laptop to get online using unsecured wireless access points. Police said that he was caught outside a building in a residential area holding a wireless-enabled laptop.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that Straszkiewicz was 'piggybacking' local householders' wireless networks, and had attempted to do so several times before police arrested him.