MoD man 'faces Official Secrets trial' for leaving files on train

Charge docs somewhere between CPS and Met police

By John Oates • Get more from this author

Posted in Government, 29th September 2008 15:40 GMT

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The Cabinet Office official who left secret intelligence documents on a train seems set to face criminal charges under the Official Secrets Act.

At least he might if anyone tracks down the files on the case.

The unnamed official, who was on secondment from the Ministry of Defence, left the orange envelope on a seat when he got off the Waterloo to Surrey train back in June.

The two documents, on Iraq's security forces and another on al-Qaeda vulnerabilities, were prepared for the Joint Intelligence Committee. The documents, marked "UK Top Secret" were found by a member of the public who passed them to the BBC which gave them to the police.

The government announced an official inquiry into the loss. The story broke the day after the government won the right to intern suspected terrorists for 42 days.

The Crown Prosecution Service has recommended that the civil servant is to be charged under section 8.1 of the Official Secrets Act, the BBC reports.

However, there appears to be some confusion as to exactly what the authorities plan to do.

A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service told the Register: "We have given our advice to the police on this and are not prepared to discuss what that advice is."

But a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police told us it had handed a file to the CPS in July but had not yet heard back from them.

The Cabinet Office and MoD declined to comment.®

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