'Media speculation puts pressure on those behind leaking of MPs' expenses data'

Newspapers like to protect their own sources while speculating about who leaked information to their rivals.
John Wick, the former soldier who handled the leaked data on MPs' expenses and sold it to the Telegraph, says in the paper today: "At no time has the Daily Telegraph identified the source and yet the various other media outlets have inferred the leak came from either the military personnel, staff of the Stationery Office or even the Civil Servants themselves. The fact is that no one knows and that is how it will stay. The rampant speculation only adds extra pressure onto the people who worked on the project in good faith."
He adds: "What was interesting was the anger that was felt by all the people involved in the redaction process to what they were seeing and the way in which the House of Commons authorities were trying to cover up. The team carrying out the censorship was made up of civil servants, private contractors and of course the moonlighting soldiers. It covered a complete cross section of all ages, backgrounds, race and religion and they all felt the rage at what they were seeing."
On the issue of the £110,000 payment from the Telegraph, Wick says "it is I who placed a requirement to have money paid for the data and not anyone else involved. It was there to pay for legal advice before the campaign started, to have contingency funds available if charges were made and legal representation was needed - and to give financial support to those persons whose involvement in the campaign could affect their and their families’ livelihood."