Soldier blackmailed with intimate images while deployed in Estonia court-martialled and imprisoned
A member of the British Army was blackmailed while deployed in Estonia after intimate images were hacked from his mobile device.
Corporal Daniel Barton-Kennedy, serving with the 1st Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, reported the incident to his platoon commander, but not before handing over £100 to those behind the hack.
Cpl Barton-Kennedy was eventually court-martialled over his role in the incident after he was found to have breached strict security protocols regarding the use of electronic devices in Estonia.
Troops deployed to Estonia as part of Operation Cabrit are required to follow rules governing personal electronic devices — known as PED policy. These include removing SIM cards, disabling location services, and using a virtual private network (VPN).
Cpl Barton-Kennedy was found to have breached these rules, leading to the compromise of his personal device and subsequent extortion using his private pictures.
Court documents revealed that the NCO had been briefed repeatedly on the rules, both in the UK prior to deployment and again in theatre.
However, on 19 January this year, his platoon commander caught the 28-year-old attempting to remove his SIM card minutes before Cpl Barton-Kennedy intended to report that he had fallen victim to blackmail.
Series of events
The hack of Cpl Barton-Kennedy's phone occurred shortly after his unit arrived in Tapa, Estonia, in January 2026 for Exercise Eastern Warrior.
An unknown party compromised the corporal's mobile phone and obtained nude photographs stored on the device.
The hackers linked the images to social media accounts owned by Cpl Barton-Kennedy, prompting extortion demands.
After paying those behind the hack an initial sum of £100, the soldier reported the matter following further demands for money.
BFBS Forces News reporter Rosie Laydon recently reported on the dangers of honeytrap espionage and said: "We know Russia in particular has form in terms of targeting and exploiting servicemen and women.
"The aim might be to extract information and intelligence, but it can also be part of wider efforts to discredit British forces and make them look sleazy to the Estonian population, therefore undermining the Nato presence out there."
10-month sentence
Cpl Barton-Kennedy pleaded guilty to a single offence of disobeying a lawful command. In mitigation, he stated that his partner in the UK was pregnant with pre-existing medical conditions, and that he was undergoing treatment for depression at the time of the deployment.
A military court in Catterick sentenced Cpl Barton-Kennedy to 10 months' detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester and reduced his rank to Lance Corporal, resulting in a pay reduction of nearly £4,000.
Cpl Barton-Kennedy later appealed against the sentence on the grounds that it was unduly harsh, arguing that he had self-reported the breach and that the court had misapplied sentencing guidelines. The appeal was dismissed.
An Army spokesperson said: "The Army implements specific security measures on deployments to ensure the safety of our personnel and protect mission success.
"Any breaches of Army security measures that might compromise personal safeguarding or operational security will be dealt with swiftly, and offending personnel can expect uncompromising disciplinary action."
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