Ex-MI5 employee Juan Joseph sectioned over leak of state secrets to foreign power

A former MI5 employee has been sectioned after being accused of repeatedly leaking sensitive information to a foreign power.

Former government IT contractor Juan Joseph, 43, was found not guilty by reason of insanity after a week-long trial at the Old Bailey in March.

He emailed foreign government and even tried to arrange a meeting at the embassy there, traveling abroad while pursuing a complaint against MI5.

At a hearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Joseph was detained indefinitely under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.

Mr Justice Hilliard said: “I accept that Mr Joseph would not have done what he did if he had not been mentally ill.”

“However, I am confident that if his particular mental illness is not effectively treated and his condition worsens, there is a very clear risk that similar behavior could be repeated and the consequences for national security and for particular individuals could be very serious indeed.”

He added that Joseph had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and that he “did not have feelings of guilt” or did not know “what he did was wrong.”

The court heard four psychiatrists were appointed to Joseph’s case and all agreed he should be given a restricted hospital order.

Prosecutor Ms Jocelyn Ledward KC stated that “there was a high risk the defendant would do something similar if he became unwell again”.

Dr Michael Kavuma told the court Joseph was in the “early stage” of his treatment and had not yet realized “the seriousness of his actions, the seriousness of the risk he posed and the importance of seeking treatment”.

Jurors heard Joseph had the highest review clearance during his 11 years at MI5 as a systems engineer, security IT management engineer and senior support engineer.

His contract was terminated in October 2020 after he was taken to St Thomas’ hospital in London exhibiting what colleagues described as “mental fragility”, “extreme anxiety” and “paranoia”.

He discharged himself before being assessed, and at a meeting to terminate his contract in October 2020, Joseph claimed he had been “victimized” and “gasped.”

Jurors were told the defendant also made a number of false complaints against MI5 about racist treatment and “deeply disturbing” allegations including rape, child abuse and torture.

Mr Justice Hilliard had ordered his trial at the Old Bailey to be heard behind closed doors largely in the absence of the public and the press, to “avoid the risk of prejudice to national security”.

Before the jury was called to rest to consider their verdict, they were told that experts agreed that the defendant was in the grip of mental illness to the extent that Joseph did not think he had done anything wrong.

Joseph also claimed that while he was at Thames House, MI5’s headquarters, a swastika was hung in the office and he was injected with a hypodermic needle containing something that made him “very weak”.

He contacted the foreign state in 2024 after his proposal to file a private lawsuit for the attack in 2019 was rejected.

He applied for a judicial review by the High Court and began copying a foreign government-related email into his communications.

On December 8, 2024, Joseph traveled to Riga, Latvia, where he sent two emails requesting a meeting at a foreign embassy.

On his return on 15 December he was stopped by police at Gatwick Airport and refused to give codes to seven digital devices, claiming he was an MI5 officer and needed permission.

On January 13, 2025, Joseph copied his complaint about his treatment by police in Gatwick in another email in a foreign state.

When he was arrested at the Ibis Hotel on 30 January 2025, he claimed to be an “armed MI5 officer” and that he had a lock knife in his pocket.

A search of Joseph’s nearby home led to the discovery of a homemade card falsely identifying him as an MI5 officer.

In police interviews, Joseph claimed to be a “snitch” and said he had done nothing wrong and had passed lie detector tests.

Having trained in ninja-style knife and sword techniques at Thames House, he claimed a black belt in taekwondo and was allowed to carry a knife for “defense” purposes.

On Wednesday, the prosecutor’s office announced that the defendant was arrested on similar charges in early 2022, but no further action was taken.

Ms Ledward said: “The defendant was arrested and interviewed in early 2022 in relation to similar statements made at the time and, as it emerged, he was mentally unwell.”

The court heard this resulted in him being admitted to hospital for a mental health assessment at the end of 2022, where it was determined he was not ill enough to remain in hospital.

Joseph, of Sutton, south London, denied four charges under the Official Secrets and National Security Acts and possession of a cutting-edge article but refused to give evidence in his defence.

He was cleared of all charges by reason of insanity and received a hospital order keeping him at Broadmoor Hospital indefinitely.

The Article 41 restriction means he can only be released with the permission of the Ministry of Justice and can be recalled immediately.

“I consider that the power under section 41 to recall him immediately to hospital in the event of any deterioration, disconnection or concerns would significantly reduce his ability to do anything that would cause serious harm to the community,” Mr Justice Hilliard said.