British soldier ignored order to pull his SIM card, then got blackmailed
Summary
A British soldier was court-martialed after he ignored an order to remove his phone’s SIM card before a deployment in Estonia. His phone was hacked, and attackers used stolen nude photos to blackmail him; an appeals court rejected his challenge to his sentence in August 2026.Key Facts
- Corporal Daniel Barton-Kennedy served with the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment.
- His unit deployed to Tapa, Estonia, for Exercise Eastern Warrior in January 2026.
- Before deployment, soldiers were ordered to remove SIM cards, disable location settings and use a trusted virtual private network on personal devices.
- On January 19, Barton-Kennedy told his platoon commander that an unknown party had stolen nude photos from his phone and identified him on social media.
- He initially agreed to pay £100 but declined when the demand rose to £250.
- Barton-Kennedy pleaded guilty to disobeying a lawful command at a hearing on July 30 and received a 10-month detention sentence and a reduction in rank.
- He said he had wanted to contact his daughter on her birthday and his pregnant partner, and he expressed regret for the incident.
- A British appeals court denied his appeal in August 2026.
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