LulzSec member Topiary charged, released on bail

The hacker who authorities believe is a key member of the LulzSec online activist group was formally charged on Sunday.

Jake Davis, 18, of Shetland, Scotland faces five charges, including illegally accessing a computer system and conspiring with others to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks on the U.K.'s Serious and Organised Crime Agency website, according to a Scotland Yard release.

Davis, who authorities said uses the online alias "Topiary" and served as the unofficial spokesman of LulzSec, was arrested last week and made his first court appearance on Monday, according to reports. He was released on bail pending an Aug. 30 hearing.

In the meantime, a judge ordered Davis to wear an ankle-monitoring bracelet, imposed a curfew and barred him from using the internet, according to reports.

Prosecutors told the judge that Davis also was involved in high-profile hacks on two Rupert Murdoch-owned newspapers and Sony, reports said. They also said police who raided Davis' home found a Dell laptop which contained the usernames and passwords of 750,000 people.

Davis only spoke to confirm his name and address. His lawyer, Gideon Cammerman, downplayed Davis' involvement in LulzSec.

“The picture that emerges is not of a skilled and persistent hacker, but someone that sympathizes and publicizes and acts as a repository for information hacked by others,” Cammerman said, according to a Forbes.com story.

Another alleged LulzSec member, Ryan Cleary, was arrested last month, and faces similar charges.