A case involving stolen videos, fake Russian spies and money. Described as “anti-British” and pro-Putin, a former British embassy security officer in Berlin was sentenced on Friday to 13 years and two months in prison for having spied for Russia.
David Ballantyne Smith, 58, has been appearing at the Old Bailey criminal court in London since Monday, had been caught passing sensitive documents to the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
“You made regular contact with someone at the Russian Embassy and that contact enabled you to pass on documents that you had obtained illegally,” Judge Mark Wall said in explaining his decision. “You were paid by Russia for your treason,” he added.
As the verdict was announced, the former embassy employee, dressed in a blue jumper and jeans, appeared focused on the judge’s decision. He had pleaded guilty to eight counts, including admitting to breaching the Official Secrets Act.
The man, who was married to a Ukrainian woman who moved back to her country in 2018, worked at the British Embassy in Berlin, and had been spotted by British and German authorities after sending a letter in 2020 containing the contact details of some British Embassy staff to a member of the military staff at the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
He had also made several videos of sensitive locations in the embassy building, and €800 in cash had been found at his home without him being able to credibly explain its origin, the prosecution had stressed.
A trap, involving two fake Russian agents, had been set to catch him in the act and he was arrested in August 2021. The prosecution had also pointed out that Smith had “made anti-Western and anti-NATO remarks to other employees and stated his support” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Investigators had found Russian memorabilia at his flat, including a life-size stuffed Rottweiler dog wearing a Russian military hat. A caricature of Vladimir Putin holding the head of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel had also been found in his locker at his workplace.
Hearing on Tuesday, the defendant, extradited in April 2022 to the UK, had assured that he wanted to “teach the embassy a lesson” but had not been paid for it.
“Now that I have had a year and a half to look back, I am disgusted with myself and ashamed of what I have done,” he had said.
