LONDON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A former software engineer for the British intelligence agency MI6 was sentenced to prison Friday for trying to sell secret information to the Netherlands.

Mr. Justice David Bean told Daniel Houghton, 25, he appears to be a "strange young man," The Guardian reported. But he suggested Houghton did not have a serious wish to harm his country, since the intelligence agency he approached was that of a close ally.

British authorities were told of Houghton's offer by the Dutch, who at first thought they were the target of a practical joke. Houghton admitted violating the Official Secrets Act by offering to sell classified information, including staff lists with addresses for about $3 million.

"If you were hearing voices they may have had a significant influence on your behavior, but they could not be said to remove your responsibility for your actions," Bean said.

Houghton, a London resident, worked for MI6, the British agency in charge of external intelligence, from 2007 to 2009.

In sentencing Houghton to a one-year prison sentence, Bean said he committed "unsophisticated offenses," making no effort to disguise his identity.