Overview
- The developer, Andrew Lakeman, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on September 3, 2026 to three years in prison suspended for two years.
- Jagex uncovered the abuse in 2018 and ran a covert internal sting that traced suspicious account-recovery activity to Lakeman’s devices and home address.
- Investigators found he sold stolen gold and high-value items to cryptocurrency dealers and had banked more than £364,829 in cash.
- Lakeman was convicted on charges including unauthorised computer access and theft by employee and was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and a 25-day rehabilitation requirement.
- The Court of Appeal’s ruling that Old School RuneScape gold qualifies as property cleared the way for this prosecution and may prompt tighter controls on staff access and wider enforcement in virtual economies, with a Proceeds of Crime timetable due to finish in February 2027.