Royal Navy petty officer sentenced for misconduct and breach of Official Secrets Act

12/12/2012

Mari Reid, Unit Head for the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: "This was a classic story of betrayal. Edward Devenney was employed by the Royal Navy to protect this country from potential threats to our security. Instead, he pursued a course of conduct likely to put his country at risk.

"Today, Devenney has been sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for collecting official secrets from the submarine on which he worked, secrets that were likely to be useful to an enemy. He attempted to set up a covert relationship with Russian agents with the intention of harming the Royal Navy, at the expense of the UK. Luckily for us, the men he met on 28 January 2012 were not Russian agents, but members of the British Security Service.

"We rely on the men and women of our armed forces to keep us safe. It is hard to imagine a greater breach of that role than Devenney's actions."

Background:

Devenney pleaded guilty on 13 November 2012 to one count of collecting information contrary to Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 and one count of misconduct in a public office, contrary to Common Law.

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