British embassy guard who spied for Russia jailed for 13 years

A person who pleaded responsible to spying for Russia and passing delicate info whereas working as a safety guard on the British embassy in Berlin was despatched to jail for 13 years and two months by a London court docket.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 17, 2023 18:03 IST

Smith taking a video of CCTV displays on the safety kiosk of the British Embassy in Berlin (Photo: AFP/Metropolitan Police Service)

By India Today Web Desk: David Ballantyne Smith, 58, a former safety guard on the UK’s Berlin embassy, was jailed for 13 years and two months by a London court docket on Friday. Smith had pleaded responsible to spying for Russia and passing delicate info whereas working on the British embassy. He was caught in a sting operation.

Smith collected confidential info for greater than three years, together with “secret” authorities communications with then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and different delicate paperwork. However, the court docket who heard Smith’s case instructed Reuters that his “subversive activities had begun two years before”.

He labored on the Berlin embassy for 5 years. He is initially from Paisley in western Scotland.

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Smith confessed that he despatched two letters containing delicate info to people on the Russian embassy in Berlin. He pleaded responsible in November 2022 to eight offences underneath the Official Secrets Act. The offences included one cost of passing info to General Major Sergey Chukhrov, the Russian army attache to Berlin, in November 2020.

The different prices contain gathering info which is perhaps helpful to Russia, 4 of which relate to an MI5 officer – a Russian nationwide who was supposedly offering help to Britain.

In court docket, Smith stated he was “disgusted with myself and ashamed of what I’ve done”. He added that he began gathering confidential info throughout a dispute with colleagues and whereas struggling despair. He additional stated that he was inebriated when he filmed the paperwork.

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However, the decide listening to Smith’s case rejected his claims that he had handed info to Moscow solely twice to be able to trigger “embarrassment” to the UK.

He additionally denied being paid, however money amounting to 800 euros was discovered at his dwelling that might not be accounted for.

Smith was arrested in August 2021 by the UK and German authorities. He was later extradited to the UK.

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Edited By:

chingkheinganbi mayengbam

Published On:

Feb 17, 2023