GCHQ Intern Sentenced to 7 Years for Illegally Copying Secret Files to Smartphone

A former intern at the UK’s intelligence agency GCHQ has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after admitting to smuggling top secret data out of a secure facility using his mobile phone, in a breach described by prosecutors as a “flagrant violation” of national security protocols.

Hasaan Arshad, 25, a computer science student from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to one offence under the Computer Misuse Act.

The charge related to an incident in August 2022 during his year-long placement at GCHQ, where he was entrusted with highly sensitive work as part of a technical development team.

According to court proceedings, Arshad brought his work mobile phone into a top secret area of the Cheltenham-based agency on 24 August 2022.

He connected the device to his development workstation and copied classified files onto it before taking the phone home.

The data, which included the identities of 17 GCHQ staff, was subsequently transferred to a hard drive connected to his personal computer.

The breach was uncovered on 22 September 2022, when police executed a search warrant at Arshad’s Rochdale residence and found the top secret data on an external hard drive.

Prosecutors warned that the removal of such sensitive information from a secure environment risked it “falling into the wrong hands,” undermining the safety of intelligence personnel and jeopardizing the UK’s national security efforts.

In addition to the computer misuse offence, Arshad also pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children.

Police discovered 40 category A and four category B indecent images on his personal mobile phone, unrelated to his work at GCHQ. These offences were committed between 7 and 23 September 2022.

Sentencing Arshad, Judge Maura McGowan imposed six years’ imprisonment for the computer misuse offence and an additional 18 months for the child image offences, to be served consecutively.

The judge described Arshad’s actions as intentional, noting that he had signed the Official Secrets Act and received induction training on security protocols.

Bethan David, Head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, stated: “By transferring the top-secret material to his home computer and therefore exposing it to the risks of an unsecure system, Arshad created a significant risk of damage to national security.

The Crown Prosecution Service will always seek to prosecute anyone that knowingly jeopardises and endangers the safety of our country”.

Arshad’s defence argued that he acted out of “curiosity” and a desire to complete his project, with no intention to disseminate the information. However, the court found his conduct posed a considerable risk and warranted a substantial custodial sentence.

The case, investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism Command, highlights the critical importance of safeguarding the UK’s most sensitive information and the severe consequences for those who breach that trust.

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