David Smith, 58, faces up to 14 years in prison after admitting passing on information about the staff and layout of the British embassy – and other classified material between May 2020 and August next year. The guard was arrested in a sting operation and extradited back to the UK from Germany in April to stand trial at the Old Bailey under the Official Secrets Act. He pleaded guilty to eight charges a week ago, but that can only be reported now after prosecutors dropped a ninth charge. A joint investigation by German and British security agencies concluded that he had been selling information to Russia since spring 2020 after MI5 and its European counterparts tracked him for months. According to the prosecution, Smith shared with General Sergei Chukhurov, the Russian military attache, the identities, addresses and phone numbers of various British civil servants between October and December 2020. A police raid on Smith’s flat revealed that he had taken photographs of staff security cards, organizational charts, posters and whiteboards at the embassy, ​​and taken a comprehensive video revealing part of the building’s layout. Officers also discovered emails and documents marked ‘secret’ – apparently prepared to pass to his Russian contacts – and €800 in cash that could not be accounted for. Police said Smith was living beyond his means. Smith, originally from Paisley, Renfrewshire, had been employed at the embassy in Berlin as a guard for around eight years. At some point, prosecutors said, he became disillusioned with the West and became a supporter of Russia. In his apartment in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, police found a Russian flag in the corner of the living room, a Russian navy emblem on the wall and a Soviet military cap bearing the hammer and sickle emblem. Officers also found a draft letter addressed to Colonel Sivov, a former Russian military attaché, dated May 14, 2020, in which Smith said he worked at the embassy and wished to remain anonymous. The guard then offered to provide a book from the embassy’s defense section marked “official sensitive” and suggested the Russian “might be able to use it.” Smith’s lawyer said prosecutors had exaggerated his motives and that his actions were those of a disgruntled employee, not a spy. Matthew Ryder KC, defending, told the hearing on November 4 that “the seriousness of the allegations is disputed by Mr Smith” and that the security guard had no “negative intent against the UK”. Prosecutors, however, argued that Smith could have acted differently if he was unhappy at his job. “If Mr. Smith just wanted to vent and express his frustration, he could have given different information,” the prosecution said. He was accused of trying to harm the British embassy and the United Kingdom. A trial of the facts to determine the length of Smith’s sentence is expected to take place in February next year. Smith will be remanded in custody pending the hearing.

title: “British Embassy Guard Admits He Gave Secrets To Russians In Berlin Uk News " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-21” author: “Steven Warner”

David Smith, 58, faces up to 14 years in prison after admitting passing on information about the staff and layout of the British embassy – and other classified material between May 2020 and August next year. The guard was arrested in a sting operation and extradited back to the UK from Germany in April to stand trial at the Old Bailey under the Official Secrets Act. He pleaded guilty to eight charges a week ago, but that can only be reported now after prosecutors dropped a ninth charge. A joint investigation by German and British security agencies concluded that he had been selling information to Russia since spring 2020 after MI5 and its European counterparts tracked him for months. According to the prosecution, Smith shared with General Sergei Chukhurov, the Russian military attache, the identities, addresses and phone numbers of various British civil servants between October and December 2020. A police raid on Smith’s flat revealed that he had taken photographs of staff security cards, organizational charts, posters and whiteboards at the embassy, ​​and taken a comprehensive video revealing part of the building’s layout. Officers also discovered emails and documents marked ‘secret’ – apparently prepared to pass to his Russian contacts – and €800 in cash that could not be accounted for. Police said Smith was living beyond his means. Smith, originally from Paisley, Renfrewshire, had been employed at the embassy in Berlin as a guard for around eight years. At some point, prosecutors said, he became disillusioned with the West and became a supporter of Russia. In his apartment in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, police found a Russian flag in the corner of the living room, a Russian navy emblem on the wall and a Soviet military cap bearing the hammer and sickle emblem. Officers also found a draft letter addressed to Colonel Sivov, a former Russian military attaché, dated May 14, 2020, in which Smith said he worked at the embassy and wished to remain anonymous. The guard then offered to provide a book from the embassy’s defense section marked “official sensitive” and suggested the Russian “might be able to use it.” Smith’s lawyer said prosecutors had exaggerated his motives and that his actions were those of a disgruntled employee, not a spy. Matthew Ryder KC, defending, told the hearing on November 4 that “the seriousness of the allegations is disputed by Mr Smith” and that the security guard had no “negative intent against the UK”. Prosecutors, however, argued that Smith could have acted differently if he was unhappy at his job. “If Mr. Smith just wanted to vent and express his frustration, he could have given different information,” the prosecution said. He was accused of trying to harm the British embassy and the United Kingdom. A trial of the facts to determine the length of Smith’s sentence is expected to take place in February next year. Smith will be remanded in custody pending the hearing.