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Civil servant in court over data loss

09/10/2008

A senior civil servant has been summoned to court in connection with the loss of secret intelligence documents after they were left on a commuter train.

In June an investigation was launched after the loss of highly sensitive intelligence files with information relating to al-Qaida and Iraq.

On Wednesday Richard Jackson was summoned to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on October 20th under the official secrets act.

A statement from the Metropolitan police declared that Mr Jackson was summoned to answer the following information: "That on June 9th 2008 being a crown servant and by virtue of your position as such you had in your possession two documents which it would be an offence under any foregoing provisions of this act to disclose.

"Without lawful authority you failed to take such care to prevent the unauthorised disclosure as a person in your position may reasonably be expected to take in contravention of S8(1) of the Official Secrets Act 1989."

Mr Jackson is reported to be employed by the Ministry of Defence.

The documents in question were passed on to a BBC correspondent by a member of the public who had discovered them in an envelope on a train between London's Waterloo station and Surrey.