Former civil servant rebuilds life after leaving top-secret papers on train

Former senior civil servant Richard Jackson says he has rebuilt his life after leaving two top-secret papers on a train in 2008, an episode that led to his suspension, demotion and a £2,500 fine. He is now a life coach and says support from family and others helped him recover from the crisis. [1]

Jackson had been seconded from the Ministry of Defence to the Cabinet Office, where he handled intelligence from GCHQ, MI5 and MI6. He said he accidentally took the classified documents home among work papers and carried them in an orange folder on his train journey the next morning. After leaving the train without it, he searched at stations along the route.

The papers were found and handed to the BBC, Jackson said. The Civil Service suspended him pending an investigation. The Cabinet Office found gross misconduct and demoted him three grades; he was also charged under the Official Secrets Act, avoided prison and was fined £2,500. [1]

Jackson told the BBC he became overwhelmed by shame and, at one point, spent a morning trying to find a painless way to die. His wife, Maddie, found him at home and stayed with him. He said the experience made him realise he could not get through it alone.

After returning to the Ministry of Defence and later working at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Jackson left the Civil Service. He worked for the Samaritans, later led a team analysing global terror risks and trained as a life coach. Following redundancy, he set up NewDay, a coaching company focused on helping people cope with distressing material. [1]

Jackson says he is happy again, though he has not forgiven himself. He now advises people facing a personal crisis to talk or write about their thoughts, keep up activities they enjoy and distinguish between what they can put right and what they cannot. [1]

The BBC story includes information for people affected by emotional distress or suicidal thoughts through its Action Line support page.