HALIFAX - The lawyer for a former Halifax naval officer convicted of selling military secrets to Russia says his client will not appeal his sentence.

Mike Taylor says former Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle decided recently not to pursue the matter after being sentenced last month to 20 years in prison for passing secrets to the Russians for 4 1/2 years.

With time already served, Delisle's sentence was reduced to 18 years and five months.

Taylor says it would have been difficult to argue that the sentence was outside the acceptable range since it was the first time such a case was tried under the Security of Information Act.

The Parole Board of Canada says Delisle is eligible for unescorted temporary leaves in March 2016, day parole in September 2018 and full parole a year later.

The father of four is undergoing an assessment at the Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia to determine where he should serve out his sentence.