Military drops conspiracy, sabotage charges against petty officers

But the department says Petty Officer (second class) Silvya Reid and Petty Officer (second class) Janet Sinclair will face court martial on charges of mischief in relation to data, wilfully damaging military property and a newly added count of negligently performing a military duty.

The charges relate to allegations the pair corrupted a classified government database at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa in July 2007.

They were initially charged by the Canadian Forces national investigation service last Aug. 5. The military says they will likely face trial early in the new year.

Reid, a naval combat information operator, and Sinclair, a sonar operator, are currently with Maritime Forces Pacific Headquarters in Esquimalt, B.C.

They have chosen to be tried by a general court martial, composed of a military judge and a five-member panel.

The two have been assigned to the base "manual party," doing basic tasks such as distributing paper, moving chairs or setting up parade grounds. Reid and Sinclair continue to receive their normal salaries of about $5,000 a month.