On January 19, Barton-Kennedy informed his platoon commander that he had received a message “from an unknown person who had acquired nude photos of him from the photo section of his cell phone and had tagged him on social media.”
Barton-Kennedy initially agreed to pay the attacker 100 British pounds ($133), but hesitated when asked to pay 250 British pounds ($333), and later informed his platoon commander of what had happened.
Ultimately, Barton-Kennedy was court-martialed and pleaded guilty at a hearing on July 30.
During that process, according to the court filing, Barton-Kennedy understood the orders he was given at the time, but asked the court to “consider the personal circumstances” he was facing at the time. Without his phone, he told the court, he could not contact his daughter on her birthday, nor his pregnant partner.
In a written statement, Barton-Kennedy said he was stunned when he received the first blackmail message.
“Although I am still in a state of shock and uncertainty, I recognized that I had a duty to report the compromise without further delay,” he wrote.
Additionally, he said he “deeply regrets” the incident and added that serving in the British Army “has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”
Barton-Kennedy appealed the sentence, which was thrown out in August 2026.
In response to a request for comment, British Army spokesperson Lt. Col. EP Mackie told Ars in a statement that the security measures imposed are intended to protect the safety of military personnel.
“Any violation of Army security measures that could compromise personal protection or operational security will be addressed expeditiously, and offending personnel can expect uncompromising disciplinary action,” he wrote.
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