Political storm as Government sells secret Navy court martial records for £20 at auction

Experts warned the sale of the archives – revealed just days after CDs containing the confidential details of 25million Child Benefit claimants were lost – may have breached the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, as well as laws protecting the identity of victims of sexual assault.

The lot of 22 bound volumes from the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, South London, lists every Naval officer or rating to have appeared before a court martial from 1880 to 1990, the charges they faced, the verdict and the sentence.

The information, clearly marked "To be kept locked up when not in use", was sold publicly by Ramco, a company contracted by the Ministry of Defence to dispose of unwanted items.

It was bought by Neil Parnham, a former Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer, who submitted his £20 written bid for a collection of archives after visiting the firm's warehouse in Skegness, Lincs.

He said: "I love historical books so I was amazed when my bid was successful – and even more surprised when I picked up my lot and discovered the three crates of books included 22 hardbacks detailing every Navy court martial.

"As a former Navy man I was disturbed the Government could be so reckless.

"The books clearly state they should be kept under lock and key. They include dozens of salacious cases with all the names of the offenders and their victims, some as recent as 1990.

"It is disgraceful the MoD should have put them up for sale. Some of the men mentioned may still be serving and many will only now be in their 30s."

The MoD denied any wrongdoing.

"The information contained in the books is public knowledge and was readily available at the time and through the Royal Naval Historical Branch," a spokesman said.

But Howard Davies, from the Government's National Archive, said: "It would appear something has gone awry. This does not sound like the sort of material that ought to be up for sale.

"It is an offence to name a victim of a sexual crime within 100 years and illegal to publish details of spent cases."

Robin Brodhurst, of the Navy Records Society, said: "All my instincts tell me this is quite wrong. If I'd been through a court martial, I don't think I'd want its details to be sold for £20 in a warehouse in Skegness."

Tory culture spokesman Hugo Swire added: "It seems that the Government has once again been shown to be very careless with people's details. I think it is a complete dereliction of duty."