Civil Servant pleads guilty to leaving top secret documents on train oct 28th

Antaletriangle · 10-28-2008, 03:07 PM

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle5030050.ece
A senior civil servant is facing jail after pleading guilty today to breaching the Official Secrets Act by leaving top secret intelligence documents on a commuter train.

The highly sensitive files "had the potential to damage national security and and UK international relations," Westminster Magistrates Court heard.

Richard Jackson, a Cabinet Office official, admitted failing to take due care of the documents, which he left on a train from Waterloo station on his way home to Yateley, Hampshire, in June.

The documents were found inside an envelope by a passenger who handed them over to the BBC Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner. He then turned them in to police.

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The court heard that one of the documents was marked 'top secret', while the other had a mid-range classification. It is believed that the most secret document was a report about the threat posed by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The other is thought to be a highly critical British assessment of the Iraqi security forces.

cont.on link above.

10-28-2008, 03:07 PM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	Civil Servant pleads guilty to leaving top secret documents on train oct 28th http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle5030050.ece A senior civil servant is facing jail after pleading guilty today to breaching the Official Secrets Act by leaving top secret intelligence documents on a commuter train. The highly sensitive files "had the potential to damage national security and and UK international relations," Westminster Magistrates Court heard. Richard Jackson, a Cabinet Office official, admitted failing to take due care of the documents, which he left on a train from Waterloo station on his way home to Yateley, Hampshire, in June. The documents were found inside an envelope by a passenger who handed them over to the BBC Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner. He then turned them in to police. Related Links MoD admits 750 laptops have gone Iran 'spy': I am a victim of conspiracy The court heard that one of the documents was marked 'top secret', while the other had a mid-range classification. It is believed that the most secret document was a report about the threat posed by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The other is thought to be a highly critical British assessment of the Iraqi security forces. cont.on link above.