A former security guard at the United Kingdom’s Berlin embassy who sold secrets to Russia has been jailed for 13 years and two months, BBC reported Friday.
Judge Mark Wall, who sentenced Smith, said the ex-spy had “put people at maximum risk,” per BBC.
British embassy spy to be sentenced for leaking secrets to Russia
Follow live updates https://t.co/AXSM8UhTfO— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 17, 2023
“I am sure that you committed these crimes intending to assist Russia … your motive in assisting them was to damage British interests” Wall said, according to Reuters.
German police arrested Smith in Aug. 2021 after British intelligence caught him in a sting operation, according to ABC News. In Nov. 2021, Smith pleaded guilty to eight charges for carrying out an act detrimental to the safety or interests of the state, CNN reported. (RELATED: British Spy Agency Reportedly Opposes Russia Document Declassification)
British news agency PA reported that Smith had sent two letters to Russian Embassy officials in 2020. The first, sent in Nov. 2020, one of which exposed a diplomat who had worked in Russian, CNN noted. According to the outlet, Russia was paying Smith for secret information.
Judge Wall stated that Smith had copied a “significant amount of material” during his time at the embassy.