A former defence contractor emailed classified details of a British missile system that could have been used by enemies of the UK to counter any attack, a court heard on Tuesday.
Software engineer Simon Finch, 50, sent details of the system, described as critical to UK security, to undisclosed recipients in October 2018, London’s Old Bailey court was told.
Mr Finch, from Swansea, Wales, denies breaching the UK’s Official Secrets Act. He is also accused of refusing to give British authorities access codes to three electronic devices.
"The document he attached to the email set out technical detail classified as secret and top secret... (and) contained detail about the operational performance of the system," prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors.
"Expert evaluation has concluded that the release of information of that kind, for example to a hostile adversary of the UK, would give them an understanding of the function of that relevant system, which in turn would allow them methods of countering it."
Mr Heywood said the disclosure could create a "risk to the UK and to others with whom that technology is shared".
The jury will hear more details about the system during closed sessions of the court. Journalists and the public will be barred from those proceedings.
Mr Finch worked for private contractors, including BAE Systems and QinetiQ, from the late 1990s until 2018.
Armed with "expert technical ability", he was involved in the design, testing and configuration of the UK missile system still used by British armed forces, according to Mr Heywood.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
