GCHQ intern loses appeal against seven-and-a-half-year sentence

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 20:38 · Archive

A Manchester University computer science student who breached security by taking top secret GCHQ data home has lost his appeal against a seven-and-a-half-year jail term.

Hasaan Arshad, 26, from Rochdale, breached tight security rules when he used his mobile phone to remove material from a computer system at GCHQ and transfer it to his private computer on 24 August 2022. A Manchester University computer science student, Arshad had been coming to the end of an industry year placement with a technical development team at the agency's Cheltenham site and was motivated by a desire to complete his assigned project.

Arshad had undergone GCHQ induction and was required to sign the Official Secrets Act. He admitted an offence under the Computer Misuse Act and two charges of making an indecent photograph of a child, relating to videos found on his personal phone following his arrest. He was jailed for seven-and-a-half years at the Old Bailey.

At the Court of Appeal on Thursday, Lady Justice Cockerill, sitting with Lord Justice Dingemans and Mr Justice Goose, refused Arshad permission to challenge his sentence. She said there were no arguable grounds that the sentencing judge was wrong, and that the judge had given careful consideration to Arshad's age, immaturity and neurodivergence while rightly accounting for the serious harm to national security that could have been caused. Rupert Bowers KC, representing Arshad, had argued the sentence was too high for a first-time offender and that Arshad had 'noble if misguided' intentions with no corrupt motive.

How it is being reported

• GCHQ intern who took data home loses sentence appealHasaan Arshad breached security rules by transferring material from a GCHQ computer system in 2022.BBC Manchester · 29 Oct, 20:20
• GCHQ intern from University of Manchester who took top secret data loses bid to reduce jail termHasaan Arshad was coming to the end of an industry year placementManchester Evening News · 29 Oct, 17:45

In this story: Hasaan Arshad · GCHQ · Lady Justice Cockerill · Rochdale · University of Manchester · Cheltenham

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