A UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Dublin (UCD) archaeology lecturer has been sent forward for trial on 150 charges of hacking students’ personal data and harassment.

Assistant Professor Dr Stephen Davis is accused of using “a piece of software to steal students’ passwords and access their accounts”.

The 53-year-old, who is British but has an address at Elgin Wood, Killarney Road, Bray, Co Wicklow, allegedly harassed about 50 students, and the case involves overall more than 100 victims.

He appeared again at Dublin District Court today. The prosecution follows a Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau probe that began in 2023 into the use of malicious software (malware).

The academic’s charges include multiple counts of harassment and breaches of sections 2 and 8(1) of the Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Act 2017.

Under information systems-related offences, it is alleged that he “did without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, intentionally access an information system by infringing a security measure”.

The offences are said to have taken place at various locations, including the UCD campus, Belfield, Donnybrook, Dublin 4; an office at the university; and his home address on various dates in 2023.

He has not yet entered a plea.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had authorised trial on indictment and gardaí served him with a book of evidence.

State solicitor, Mark Donnelly, confirmed that there are 150 charges in the case.

Judge Karen Dowling granted a return-for-trial order, sending him to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where the case will be listed for mention on 30 January next.

The judge gave Davis the standard warning that he must notify the prosecution within 14 days if he intends to rely on an alibi in his defence. Gardaí were ordered to provide the defence with copies of video-recorded interviews.

Earlier, Detective Garda Colin Noonan told the court that the accused faces over 50 harassment charges under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act and more than 90 charges of unlawfully accessing an information system.

Another charge relates to unlawfully using software to access an information system.

Garda Noonan alleged that the case involved UCD campus accounts and the “use of a piece of software to steal students’ passwords and access their accounts”.

The more serious charges relate to the nature of personal material stolen.

He was remanded on bail, with Judge Dowling warning him that conditions imposed at an earlier stage remain.

He has surrendered his passport, must sign on two days a week at his local garda station, and he has to remain away from the library in Bray.

Davis, dressed in a grey suit, white shirt, and red tie, stepped forward when the case was called and spoke briefly saying, “Yes” to confirm he understood the order. There was no application for legal aid.