A disgruntled former MI5 IT worker leaked information to a foreign state and travelled to Latvia in an attempt to arrange a face-to-face meeting at an embassy, a partially secret trial has heard. Juan Joseph, 42, is charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act and the National Security Act while pursuing a grievance against the security service. Parts of his trial at the Old Bailey are being held behind closed doors.
Joseph worked as an IT contractor for MI5 for more than a decade, from September 2009 to October 2020, and had access to information of the highest classification, the court was told. He also worked for another intelligence agency and held security clearance up to “developed vetting”. In 2020, he became mentally unwell, his clearance was removed, and his contract was terminated. He later raised grievances against MI5 and applied for a private prosecution, which was refused.
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC said that between late 2024 and early 2025, Joseph sent emails containing sensitive information to bodies representing foreign countries, damaging UK national interests. In November 2024, he allegedly sent an email to the High Court’s Administrative Court office, copying in an address linked to a foreign state. In December, he travelled to Riga, Latvia, and emailed the embassy of another country requesting a meeting.
Joseph was stopped by police at Gatwick Airport on his return on December 15, 2024. Officers seized five mobile phones and two computers, but he initially refused to provide PIN numbers, claiming to be an MI5 officer. He later gave some codes, and officers found photographs taken near the embassy in Riga. On January 13, 2025, he sent another email complaining about his treatment at Gatwick, which also contained sensitive information and was copied to a foreign state.
Joseph was arrested on January 30, 2025, at an Ibis Hotel near his home in Sutton, south London. He became agitated and claimed to be an armed MI5 officer with a knife. Officers found a folding lock knife in his jacket. A search of his home uncovered a homemade card purporting to identify him as an MI5 officer. The trial continues.
