Porn pics 'endangered military security'

According to TV4's Kalla Fakta, Major General Tony Stigsson took serious security risks long before he was arrested last year for assaulting his wife. When searched by police, he was found to be in possession of very explicit pornographic material, which they allege made him vulnerable to blackmail.

Stigsson, one of the highest ranking officers in the Swedish military, was sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting his ex-wife. The sentence was reduced to three months in March of this year.

A TV4 investigation due to be screened this evening contends that a combination of the senior officer's sexual behaviour and his handling of extremely sensitive military documents constituted a major national security risk.

When he was arrested in March last year police found explicit, and very deviant, pornographic material in the Major General's uniform pockets as well as in his places of residence. The risk of blackmail was further increased by the fact that Stigsson made contact with unknown persons on the internet with the intention of meeting them for group sex at swingers' clubs.

According to Kalla Fakta, whose reporters have had access to the full police investigation, the major general was aware of the risks. In an e-mail sent to a woman from his work address, he writes that he wanted to "test the limits", knowing that he was "always running the risk of finding myself in a blackmail situation".

In June of this year, chief prosecutor Ulf Forsberg in Uppsala decided not to convict Stigsson of negligence with regard to secret documents, a crime that is considered a threat to national security. Police found 300 documents in Stigsson's home, of which 70 were secret, but Forsberg was not able to prove that any of the information contained in the documents had been disclosed.

Some of the copied documents found scattered around various locations in Stigsson's house were among the most secret in the military's possession. These included, for example, details of secret mountain hideouts from which Sweden would be governed in wartime, as well as documents concerning the outcome of successful intelligence operations.

Supreme Commadere Håkan Syrén has requested Stigsson's dismissal. The National Disciplinary Offence Board has not yet reached a decision.

Syrén, previously head of Sweden's military intelligence services, points out that the defence forces have recently introduced more rigorous background checks for those seeking high-level military posts.