Richard Tomlinson

For other people named Richard Tomlinson, see Richard Tomlinson (disambiguation).

Richard Tomlinson
Born (1963-01-13) 13 January 1963 (age 61)
Hamilton, New Zealand
NationalityBritish/New Zealand[4]
Alma materGonville and Caius College, Cambridge
OccupationPilot
Espionage activity
AllegianceBritain
Service branchMI6
Service years1991–1995
RankIntelligence officer
CodenameD/813317 (staff number)[1]
CodenameT (press anonymity)[2]
OperationsRussia • Bosnia • Iran
Height1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]

Richard John Charles Tomlinson (born 13 January 1963) is a former officer of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). He argued that he was subjected to unfair dismissal from MI6 in 1995, and attempted to take his former employer to a tribunal. MI6 refused, arguing that to do so would breach state security.

Tomlinson was imprisoned under the Official Secrets Act 1989 in 1997 after he gave a synopsis of a proposed book detailing his career with MI6 to an Australian publisher. He served six months of a twelve-month sentence before being paroled, after which he fled Britain. The book, named The Big Breach, was published in 2001 and was subsequently serialised by The Sunday Times. The book detailed various aspects of MI6 operations, alleging that it employed a mole in the German Bundesbank and that it held a "licence to kill", the latter later confirmed by the head of MI6 at a public hearing.[5]

Tomlinson then attempted to assist Mohamed al-Fayed in his privately funded investigation into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and al-Fayed's son Dodi. Tomlinson claimed that MI6 had considered assassinating Slobodan Milošević, the president of Serbia, by staging a car crash using a powerful strobe light to blind the driver, and suggested that Diana and Dodi might have been killed by MI6 in the same way. MI6 confirmed that plans of that nature had been drafted regarding a different Eastern European official, but that the proposal had been swiftly rejected by management.[6]

In 2009 MI6 apologised for its treatment of Tomlinson, dropped all threat of charges and agreed to unfreeze royalties on his book.[7] Staff at MI6 have been allowed employment tribunals since 2000, and have been able to unionise since 2008.[8]

  1. ^ Evans, Michael (26 January 2001). "Of mice and men". The Times.
  2. ^ Breen, Stephen (14 May 1999). "'Obsessive Loner' Hurt by Dismissal". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. ^ Du Chateau, Carroll (31 May 2000). "Outcast: the spy who wants to spill the beans". The New Zealand Herald.
  4. ^ "Intelligence agent accused of trying to publish book about service". Agence France-Presse. 3 November 1997.
  5. ^ "Ex-MI6 chief admits agents do have a licence to kill but denies executing Diana". The Evening Standard. 20 February 2008. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  6. ^ Radnofsky, Louise (20 February 2008). "MI6 did not assassinate Diana, ex-chief tells inquest". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  7. ^ The Sunday Times (London) 31 May 2009 Edition 1 MI6 woos home renegade ex-spy, p7
  8. ^ Investigatory Powers Tribunal – SIS (MI6) Archived 19 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine