David Smith, 58, has been jailed at the Old Bailey for 13 years and two months.
A Scots spy in Berlin who sold secrets to Russia has been jailed for more than 13 years for betraying his country and colleagues.
Following his arrest, police found Smith’s stash of sensitive and secret documents, including correspondence to then Prime Minister Boris Johnson from ministers. Smith, 58, pleaded guilty to eight charges under the Official Secrets Act by committing an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state.
The judge ruled that the evidence showed Smith was taking money from Russia as part of an “ongoing” relationship. He had collected material since 2018 with a view to handing it over “at some stage”, the judge found. Smith made a copy of a document Dmitry had brought and kept Sim card packaging with the defector’s phone number on it rather than destroying it as he had been instructed. Later in his security kiosk, Smith was shown on covert film using a small camera to record about 45 seconds of CCTV capturing Dmitry’s visit saying: “If he works at the embassy they will know him.”
He admitted being interested in conspiracy theories espoused by Alex Jones’ InfoWars and David Icke but denied being pro-Russian or having far-right sympathies. However, the prosecution pointed out his collection of Russian military memorabilia, including a flag and large toy Rottweiler, as well as his past support for Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas.
“His offending is made worse by the fact that he was exploiting the privileged position and access that gave him.
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