Sunday Times source convicted

Scotland Yard employee pleads guilty and admits leaking confidential terrorism report

A Scotland Yard staff member has pleaded guilty to “wilful misconduct in a judicial or public office” for leaking secret documents to the Sunday Times that led to an article on April 22 claiming that Iraq-based al-Qaida leaders were planning large-scale attacks against the West.


Thomas Lund-Lack, 59, admitted in the Old Bailey that he had leaked the confidential Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre report to a reporter from the newspaper. However, he denied a second charge of “unlawful disclosure” contrary to the Official Secrets Act 1989, which the court was told would lie on the file.


Mr Justice Gross said: “This is a man who was annoyed with how things were being run and did what he could, he says, in the hope of improving things and to bring out the problems he believed he had seen.” Mr Lund-Lack was suffering from post traumatic stress after years of work for the police and said to have been overcome by the responsibility of looking after his daughter. There was no suggestion of financial gain on his part.


Mr Lund-Lack worked for the Metropolitan police’s specialist operations in the counter terrorism command and had previously been a detective inspector. He is expected to be sentenced next month.


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