David Ballantyne Smith, from Paisley, Scotland, claimed he was depressed, lonely, and consuming up to seven pints per day when he began leaking embassy secrets to cause humiliation.
A British embassy security guard was condemned to more than 13 years in prison for espionage for the Russians.
58-year-old David Ballantyne Smith pled guilty to eight charges under the Official Secrets Act of 1911 and 1920. But claimed that he did not intend to cause damage.
He was given a thirteen-year-and-two-month sentence, which he may spend in either Germany or the United Kingdom.
Smith, from Paisley, Scotland, claimed he began leaking embassy secrets in an attempt to cause humiliation because he was depressed, lonely, and consuming up to seven pints per day.
During sentencing at the Old Bailey, Mr. Justice Wall refuted this, stating that the defendant gathered “considerable material” to “harm British interests” and gave this information to a “hostile power.”
“It was your responsibility to guarantee the security of the embassy and its personnel. It was the clearest violation of the confidence placed in you “The judge stated the following during the televised sentencing.
According to him, Smith’s “persistent and to some degree sophisticated” information gathering caused “understandable anxiety and stress” among embassy employees and their families.
Smith was “paid by Russia for [his] treachery,” according to the judge. But there was no proof that he received “life-altering sums of money.”
Smith filmed CCTV video in addition to taking photos and documents from desks and drawers.
He gave Russian officials the names, photographs, and personal information of embassy personnel. As well as secret papers, including correspondence with then-prime minister Boris Johnson.
He meticulously filmed a long walk around the embassy through windows to demonstrate its layout and offices.
The judge stated that Smith’s espionage could have harmed Britain’s international trade talks and occurred during a time when the UK was “calling out” Russian actions, such as amassing large numbers of soldiers on the Ukraine border.
Mr. Justice Wall also gave information regarding the sting operation that led to the arrest of Smith.
A British agent visited the consulate while posing as Dmitry, a Russian defector. Before Smith, he promised to transmit sensitive information to British authorities.
During the visit, Smith was instructed to copy what he thought to be a secret Russian document and to destroy the SIM card packaging containing the defector’s phone number. Smith fell for the ruse, and an additional duplicate of the document and the SIM packaging was discovered in his residence.
The current expense of securing the British embassy in Berlin following Smith’s crimes is £820,000.
Mr. Judge Wall stated that Smith’s anti-British and anti-Western sentiments were the “direct cause” of his criminal behavior.
Smith’s criticism of the UK and Germany made his peers think he liked Russia and Putin.
He acknowledged publicly supporting forces backed by Moscow in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
The judge thinks Smith began collecting information in 2018.
Suella Braverman, the British home minister, described Smith’s sentencing as “a triumph for British justice.”
MI5, our cops, and their cooperation with German authorities are to be commended for his over-13-year sentence.
In a tweet, the security minister, Tom Tugendhat, referred to Smith as “a renegade.”
He betrayed us all and endangered our mission and nation. I am thankful to MI5 and their incredible officers, the police, and our German partners for ensuring his trial and conviction “he said.
