Roger Uren: Former spy sentenced over ‘dangerous’ secret documents found in Canberra garage
Former Aussie diplomat and spy Roger Uren is now a convicted criminal after a magistrate sentenced him over the stash of secret government documents found in his garage.
Canberra Star
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The stash of secret documents found in former spy Roger Uren’s garage were “akin .. to a dangerous weapon” that could have fallen into the hands of Australia’s enemies, a magistrate has said.
Uren, a top former diplomat and spy at the Office of National Assessment, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he was sentenced over the damning discovery of hundreds of secret documents at his Kingston home.
Uren had previously pleaded guilty to breaches of the Intelligence Services Act and the ASIO Act, stemming from his unlawful retention of the documents.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston said some of the documents “can be described as being significantly sensitive with significant consequences” if they fell into the wrong hands.
There was no allegation that Uren disclosed the information to anyone, but Mr Theakston said his decision to keep the documents in his shed was “akin to the keeping of a dangerous weapon without any intention to use that weapon”.
If the documents ended up in the wrong hands “the dangers and risks may manifest”.
Uren is now a pariah among some of his former colleagues, is depressed and drinks heavily to self-medicate, the court heard.
His barrister, John Purnell SC, argued unsuccessfully for a non-conviction, but Mr Theakston said it was important to “send a clear message to those other people who are entrusted with (classified information), with all the risks that that involves, they are obligated to protect that risk”.
A string of former politicians, political staffers, diplomats and spies gave character references vouching for Uren, including author Tom Keneally, former government minister Neil Brown QC, former spy David Wright-Neville and former political staffer Greg Rudd, the brother of former prime minister Kevin Rudd.
Uren has also only been able to travel to China once since he has been charged, where his wife, Sheri Yan, now lives.
Mr Theakston found Uren, like many busy spies at the time, took documents home with him to work.
But he said it was never sanctioned to take home classified documents.
He said Uren’s conduct was “misguided, counter-productive and at times, dangerous”.
The offending also involved a breach of trust invested in him by the government, he said.
It became a criminal offence to retain classified documents in 2014, decades after Uren took them home.
Uren had no criminal history and worked as a media executive in Hong Kong until he was charged.
Mr Theakston convicted Uren and fined him $7000.