A stash of classified British military documents was discovered scattered on a street in Newcastle earlier this month, prompting a formal investigation by the Ministry of Defence. The documents included personal information about soldiers and sensitive facility access data, raising serious concerns about security protocol breaches.
Found by Chance Before a Football Match
The discovery was made by Mike Gibbard, a football fan from Gateshead, who stumbled upon the documents on March 16 while parking ahead of the Carabao Cup final between Newcastle United and Liverpool. “I looked down and saw names on bits of paper, numbers,” Gibbard told the BBC. “They were all over the place—under cars, next to the wall, in a black sack.”
According to Digi24, the papers were marked with varying degrees of sensitivity, including “official – secret.” They reportedly contained information related to military rosters, weapons records, email addresses, and security access details, possibly linked to units based at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
Security and Disposal Protocols Under Scrutiny
British government guidelines state that compromised classified documents could endanger lives and should be securely destroyed—either shredded or incinerated. In this case, the documents appear to have been improperly discarded.
The papers were promptly handed over to the Northumbria Police, who then transferred them to the Ministry of Defence. A spokesperson for the MoD confirmed the incident and said an urgent internal investigation is underway: “We are aware that documents which may relate to the department were recently handed to police. We are urgently reviewing this matter.”
The discovery has triggered renewed scrutiny over the handling and disposal of sensitive information by military personnel, especially in public or unsecured environments. For now, the MoD has not indicated whether any individuals have been held accountable.
