Department of Defence graduate jailed for leaking ‘top secret’ documents on 4chan

HE might have been trying to become the next Julian Assange, but all Michael Scerba achieved was a jail sentence.

‘Top secret’ leak lands Defence grad in jail

HE might have been trying to become the next Julian Assange, but all Michael Scerba achieved was a one-year jail sentence for disclosing secret information online.

The then-21-year-old Department of Defence graduate came to the attention of authorities after he posted a “highly sensitive” report on the anonymous image-sharing forum 4chan.

For this crime, Justice Richard Refshauge sentenced the 24-year-old to spend a minimum of three months in prison, with the remainder to be served as a suspended sentence, subject to a two-year good behaviour bond.

In 2012, the Department of Defence graduate burnt the document to a compact disc after downloading it from a Secret Defence Security Network.

He then took it home and shared the first two pages of the 15-page document on the website with the comment, “Julian Assange is my hero”.

A former member of the Defence Signals Directorate discovered the security breach while browsing the website and noticed it was a “Five Eyes only” document — a reference to the intelligence alliance of Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Canada, and the US.

The discovery was then reported to authorities and Scerba’s house was subsequently raided by Federal Police.

His computer was confiscated and forensic testing confirmed his involvement.

While the current proceedings place the contents of the report under strict secrecy provisions, the court heard the post disclosed details of sensitive sources, gathering methods and classified aspects of strategic partnerships between Australia and its allies.

The court also heard the post was removed within an hour of and while the total number of users who had accessed the sensitive information is unknown, at least 12 people had viewed and commented on it in that time frame.

When handing down the sentence, Justice Richard Refshauge acknowledged Scerba’s early guilty plea and also took into account his clean record.

While accepting Scerba had not intended to compromise national security, he emphasised the importance of general deterrence in cases such as this warranted full time imprisonment.

According to the ABC, Justice Richard Refshauge said the “clang of the prison gates” was the only way to get the message across to people with similar ideas.