British soldier jailed after phone photos used in blackmail

A British Army corporal was court-martialled after ignoring orders to remove his phone’s SIM card before a deployment to Estonia, where attackers stole nude photographs from the device and used them to blackmail him. A British appeals court document says Daniel Barton-Kennedy was serving with the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment during Exercise Eastern Warrior in Tapa, around 90 miles west of the Russian border.

Before the unit left the UK on 7 January 2026, personnel were told to remove SIM cards, disable location settings and use a trusted virtual private network on personal devices. They received further briefings in Estonia, but Barton-Kennedy did not follow the instructions. On 19 January, he told his platoon commander that an unknown party had obtained photographs from his phone and identified him on social media. He initially agreed to pay £100, but refused when the demand rose to £250.

Barton-Kennedy pleaded guilty to disobeying a lawful command at a hearing on 30 July. He was reduced in rank and sentenced to 10 months in detention. He appealed, citing personal circumstances including wanting to contact his daughter on her birthday and his pregnant partner; the appeal was rejected in August 2026.

The British Army said security measures are intended to protect personnel, and warned that breaches which could compromise personal safeguarding or operational security would bring swift disciplinary action.