London - The former MI6 officer, Mr Richard Tomlinson, who attempted to publish a book about his experiences in the intelligence service, pleaded guilty to the unlawful disclosure of information under the Official Secrets Act at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London yesterday, Rachel Donnelly writes.
Mr Tomlinson (34), who is facing a possible two-year sentence and/or an unlimited fine when he appears at the Old Bailey for sentencing, is the first MI6 officer to be prosecuted under the Act since the conviction of George Blake in 1961.
In court, prosecuting counsel, Mr Colin Gibbs, said earlier this year Mr Tomlinson had prepared a short synopsis of his book about MI6 for Transworld Publishers in Sydney disclosing details of the organisation's "training, operations, sources and methods".