Former MI6 Man Sentenced For Secret Files Leak Date: Friday, September 03, 2010 Source: BBC News

A former MI6 worker has been given a 12-month jail sentence for trying to sell top secret material for £2m. However, Daniel Houghton, 25, of Hoxton, east London, will be freed later on Friday because he has already spent the 184 days in custody. He had pleaded guilty to two offences under the Official Secrets Act and selling files to Dutch agents. Houghton, who was arrested in March, had worked for the Secret Intelligence Service between 2007 and 2009. He denied a charge of stealing materials, a plea which was accepted by the prosecution at the Royal Courts of Justice. 'Strange young man'   Houghton had tried to sell copies of electronic files containing details of information gathering software and staff lists to the agents in The Netherlands. The Dutch authorities then tipped off MI5. Piers Arnold, prosecuting, said: "It was a personal betrayal of these individuals with the potential if it had fallen into the wrong hands to compromise individuals' safety." Judge Mr Justice Bean heard Houghton's account was that he was "directed by voices to do what he is said to have done in the charges". Mr Justice Bean said he did not know if his claims were true but described him as a "strange young man". He added: "The effect on the SIS [Secret Intelligence Service] credibility and the morale of its officers of this kind of act of betrayal is a serious matter." Agents from The Netherlands are understood to have bugged and filmed Houghton as he displayed the files and offered to provide them with lists of MI5 agents he had worked with. The price was negotiated down to £900,000 and immediately after Houghton handed over the files on 1 March he was arrested while carrying a suitcase containing the cash. When police searched his flat they discovered paperwork marked, "top secret". A computer memory stick was found containing 7,000 files, while a hard drive with secret documents stored on it was also discovered. MI6, who vetted Houghton before employing him, have declined to comment on the security breach. Police sources said Houghton appeared to have been motivated by greed. One senior source said he had been living a "champagne lifestyle on ginger beer wages". BBC News Courtesy of SecurityOracle.com - The Secury Industry's Portal