GCHQ worker accused of taking top secret data home

He was arrested and his home was searched on 22 September 2022, before he was charged under Section 3ZA of the Computer Misuse Act 1990, relating to “unauthorised acts causing, or creating risk of, serious damage”.

The charges states: “Between August 23 2022 and September 23 2022 (he) did an unauthorised act in relation to a computer and at the time of doing the act knew that it was unauthorised.

“And the act caused, or created a significant risk of a material kind, this being damage to the national security of a country; and he intended by doing the act to cause serious damage of a material kind or was reckless as to whether such damage was caused.”

“Top secret” is the classification for the government’s most sensitive information, according to Ministry of Justice security guidance.

This includes material where compromise might cause widespread loss of life or threaten the security or economic wellbeing of the country or friendly nations.

GCHQ’s headquarters is in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, but the intelligence agency also runs a smaller office in Manchester, as well as bases in Cornwall and North Yorkshire.