MI6 man tried to sell colleagues' names for £2m

MI6 man jailed for a year for 'act of betrayal' for trying to sell top secret files

A software engineer working for MI6, who tried to sell intelligence for £2m, has been given a 12-month jail sentence for his "act of betrayal".

Daniel Houghton, 25, from Hoxton, east London, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two offences under the Official Secrets Act. He offered computer files containing sensitive information about intelligence collection and M16 staff lists to agents from the Netherlands, the Old Bailey heard. The Dutch initially thought it was a hoax, but later tipped off their UK counterparts. Houghton was arrested after arranging a meeting at a London hotel in March.

He claimed he heard voices telling him to do it, but today the judge, Mr Justice Bean, was told there were conflicting psychiatric reports. "You seem to be a strange young man. But whether you were hearing voices at the time, I don't know. If you were hearing voices they may have had a significant influence on your behaviour, but they could not be said to remove your responsibility for your actions."

Sentencing him, he said: "You were employed by the security services and attempted to sell secret material for very large sums of money.

"In particular you attempted to sell staff lists, which would have disclosed the identity and homes and whereabouts of agents whose identity must be protected almost at all costs. If the material had found its way into the hands of a hostile power, it would have done enormous damage and put lives at risk.

"On the other hand, you are not an ideologue. If you had been intent on causing harm to this country's interests, you would have chosen a different recipient than the Netherlands. These were unsophisticated offences. You made no attempt to conceal your identity."

Houghton had worked for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also known as MI6, between September 2007 and May 2009, the court heard. During this time he accessed a number of computer files belonging to the British security service (MI5) relating to the work of both agencies and marked "secret" or "top secret". They were described as "sensitive capabilities files, important tools developed by SIS staff for the gathering of intelligence for national security purposes".

He also tried to sell two secret staff lists, one containing 387 names and the other with the home and mobile telephone numbers of 39 people.

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."

Houghton will be released almost immediately, because he has already served half the term while on remand awaiting trial.