Judge Nicola Jones at Caernarfon Crown Court has criticised North Wales Police for refusing to return a stolen mobile phone to its owner, Melvyn Mainwaring. The judge expressed disbelief that the police were withholding the phone because it might infringe on the thief's UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rights. The judge questioned the prosecutor about the difficulty in returning the phone on GDPR grounds, to which the prosecutor, Mr McLoughlin, replied: "It would not surprise me." The Judge then directly ordered the police to return the phone to Mainwaring, calling the situation "ridiculous" and "nonsensical." Reid was subsequently jailed for nearly four years for this burglary, and two others committed last spring.
The police, however, denied withholding the phone due to the GDPR rights of the suspect. Deputy Chief Constable Nigel Harrison said: "It is standard practice for police to retain evidential exhibits until the conclusion of a trial, should they be required in court."
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