A former soldier has avoided jail after posting sensitive personal data from the police online.

The Information Commissioner (ICO) brought a prosecution against William Godfrey after he shared the name, address, and details of the health and sexual life of a vulnerable adult on Twitter.

Posts were sent to the accounts of the ICO, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and Surrey Police in July 2016.

On the same day, he emailed the commissioner, threatening to publish a 40-page document containing personal data which included details of a victim of a sexual offence.

He then became involved in a row on Twitter with another user who warned him that he was breaking the law.

Godfrey, 30, of Bull Lane in Bethersden near Ashford, had previously been in a relationship with a probationary officer, and had come into possession of a USB stick containing the data.

Later it emerged he had also tweeted Surrey Police with details of a person who had been the subject of a police search in connection with an offence.

The ICO contacted Godfrey to ask him not to publish the material, and also tried to organise a meeting for him to hand over the USB stick, but he failed to show up.

The ICO and Surrey Police then took out an injunction to retrieve the data. He was then charged with two offences of unlawfully disclosing personal data in breach of the Data Protection Act.

He appeared at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday, where he admitted the two charges.

He was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge because he had already been put under curfew and an electronic tag before appearing at court. But he was ordered to pay £150 for court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

ICO enforcement head Steve Eckersley said: “People should always be careful about what they share on social media, both about themselves and others.

“But when it’s sensitive and confidential personal information that they have no right to see or possess in the first place, then we will not hesitate to take action to protect people’s rights.

“Surrey Police has also signed an undertaking to improve its procedures as a result of this case, and we are satisfied that many of our recommendations have already been taken on board.”