Ex-intelligence officer Witness J’s mother did not know he was in jail, sentencing remarks reveal

The ACT supreme court has published redacted sentencing remarks about a former commonwealth official known as Witness J. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The Australian Capital Territory’s chief justice, Lucy McCallum, has described secrecy as “anathema to the rule of law” while releasing the long-awaited sentencing decision against Witness J.

The man, known by the pseudonym Alan Johns and also as Witness J, was jailed in complete secrecy after pleading guilty and being convicted for the disclosure of confidential information.