A former officer with the British intelligence agency MI6 has been sentenced to a year in jail at the Old Bailey.

BBC Reporter Valerie Jones explains the background to the case

Richard Tomlinson, 34, had pleaded guilty in November to unlawful disclosure of information under the Official Secrets Act.

He was jailed when his case returned to court for sentencing on Thursday.

Tomlinson admitted passing an outline of a book he was writing about his experiences with MI6 to a publisher in Australia.

Passing sentence, the Recorder of London, Sir Lawrence Verney, said: "It remains the duty of the court to pass a sentence which may deter others from pursuing the course that you chose to pursue.

"We are sadly conscious that it may not deter you."

He said Tomlinson's actions had actually and potentially put national security at risk.

Tomlinson is the first secret service officer to be convicted of passing official secrets and the first person to be prosecuted under the 1989 Official Secrets Act.

The prosecution said MI6 found that Tomlinson's seven-page synopsis included information on training, operations, sources and methods, which would damage national security.

After being sacked from his job in 1995, Tomlinson initially tried to publish a book on the Internet.

Sir Lawrence said he appeared determined to continue a course of action that would reveal national secrets.
 

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