Man used spy names in corruption case

A man used the names of famous British spies, the so called "Cambridge five", to unlawfully access a South Australian government computer network, a court has heard.

Paul David Hellander set up fake accounts in 2013 to gain access to a South Australian government database of translators and interpreters.

His action was partly "pay-back" over efforts by a government department to push him out of his job with the interpreting service, the District Court was told on Thursday.

"He knew they were on a mission to get rid of him," defence counsel Mark Griffin said.

Hellander has pleaded guilty to one count of abuse of public office after an investigation by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

The 62-year-old used the names of the Cambridge Five spies, recruited from the United Kingdom by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, to set up his fake accounts.

Four of those spies were identified as Kim Philby, Donald Mclean, Guy Burgess and Anthony Blunt, with John Cairncross thought to be the fifth man.

Prosecutors have asked the District Court to sentence Hellander on the basis that he intended to secure a tangible commercial benefit from his actions.

Shortly after he accessed the database using the fake identities, an interpreting business registered in his wife's name was established.

The court was told he used the fake accounts while on a holiday in Greece and would still have access to the database had his offending not come to light.

Hellander also made reference to an "exit plan" in emails to colleagues.

But defence counsel Mark Griffin said his conduct was an emotive and "passive-aggressive" response to his situation.

He said the fake accounts were also a convenient way for him to get access to information, after his own access was cut off, that was mostly in his head anyway.

Outside court Hellander said he was very regretful for what had happened and sorry for hurting his family and people he had worked with.

But he said he was not really aware of the gravity of what he had done at the time.

Hellander will be sentenced on December 22.