Kate Tayla Johnson pleads guilty to breaching ICAC Act with Snapchat

A former staffer in the office of the Territory’s corruption watchdog was charged with leaking information using a popular social media app. Here’s what the court was told.

A woman accused of leaking corruption watchdog information in breach of the ICAC Act has pleaded guilty.

Kate Tayla Johnson, 23, a former staffer in the office of the NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, faced charges of disclosing confidential information and disclosing information “obtained in the course of performing a function”.

In Darwin Local Court on Monday, Johnson pleaded guilty to the breach relating to section 145 of the ICAC Act.

Anyone who recklessly discloses information obtained “in the course of performing functions connected with the administration” of the Act can face up to two years in prison.

Kate Tayla Johnson was fined $5000 for breaching the ICAC Act. Picture: Glenn Campbell

A charge of disclosing confidential information under the Criminal Code was withdrawn.

The breach of the Act occurred on May 31, while Johnson was employed as an executive assistant to the NT’s Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Michael Riches, the court heard.

The breach occurred when Johnson, who had access to official mail received by the office of the Commissioner, photographed a handwritten letter from an inmate at Darwin Correctional Centre to the Commissioner and posted it to her Snapchat account.

The post, which captured part of the letter, was viewed by 100 to 150 people before it was automatically deleted by Snapchat.

As Johnson was questioned by police about the incident on June 3, they found a video on her phone related to the charge.

The prosecution said Johnson “intentionally engaged in conduct that resulted in the unauthorised disclosure of information and was reckless in relation to the result of that conduct”.

Former NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption staffer Kate Tayla Johnson. Picture: Facebook/Supplied

“The information disclosed was confidential information and not readily available … to the public,” the prosecution said.

“It’s a serious breach of trust … it’s crucial that members of the public have faith that confidential communication with all government agencies will be sacrosanct.

“The defendant’s actions have undermined the confidence that the public has in ICAC and the public service in general.

“The sentence must serve as a reminder to public servants and to people in a position of power that they cannot abuse their position for any reasons.”

Julie Franz, for Johnson, said the defendant had resigned from her position at ICAC following the breach.

In his sentencing, Judge David Woodroffe considered the 29 character references provided in as part of Johnson’s defence and acknowledged the “personal loss” and “deep regret” the breach had caused her.

Johnson, who started her role as an assistant in March 2020, was fined $5000 the breach with no conviction recorded.

Originally published as Kate Tayla Johnson pleads guilty to breaching ICAC Act with Snapchat