Unauthorised access is an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Absent any evidence of intent to commit further offences or alter the data, it's probable we decided civil action was the way to go.
And in civil action you have to weigh up the amount offered against the risk of costs going against you. So, if Liverpool offered a million pounds and we proceeded we'd risk the court deciding that £1m was fair given no proof of financial consequences and we should have accepted.
Interesting that it has found its way into the public domain. It suggests that Liverpool weren't able to bind us to a confidentiality clause. An indication of the strength of our case.