A Russian spy was “hedging his bets” when he was accosted in an undercover sting operation, a court docket has been advised.
David Ballantyne Smith, 58, initially from Paisley, Scotland, was arrested at 2.10pm on 10 August 2021 by officers from the BKA, the German Federal Criminal Investigation Office, following a sting operation by two undercover MI5 officers, posing as Russian brokers.
He was taken to Potsdam police headquarters however declined to take part in a police interview and was introduced earlier than the analyzing Justice of the Peace of the Federal High Court in Karlsruhe that afternoon.
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Smith, who had labored as a safety guard on the British embassy since 2016, was extradited to the UK the place he has pleaded responsible to eight prices below the Official Secrets Act 1911 and 1920.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC advised the Old Bailey at a sentencing listening to that he was “was plainly hedging his bets” when attempting to work out if he may belief one of many British brokers posing as a Russian spy.
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When approached by a girl calling herself “Irina”, he mentioned he would communicate to “someone” first earlier than participating along with her a few man (additionally a faux agent performed by a British spy) known as Dmitry passing info to the UK.
Ms Morgan advised the listening to that Smith “plainly knew the potential significance” of a person claiming to be a Russian “walk-in” on the embassy known as Dmitry and of a girl known as “Irina” who claimed to be from the Russian GRU, navy intelligence.
“The prosecution position is that the defendant was stalling in his engagement with Irina and was trying to work out which was the more likely – was this a genuine Russian representative who he could trust with information, even though Irina was patently not someone the defendant would normally engage with, or whether she was someone from the British authorities, and he had in effect been rumbled.”
A sentencing listening to on the Old Bailey was advised that in searches of his dwelling in Potsdam, Berlin, German police discovered a life-size cuddly toy of a Rottweiler sporting a Russian navy hat.
He additionally had a big Russian Federation Flag within the nook of the lounge and numerous Russian books on a bookshelf.
There was additionally a Soviet navy hat on prime of a bookshelf and a toy Lada automotive, a product of the Soviet state-owned automotive producer.
Various books, a few of them in Russian, coated topics together with younger feminine Russian snipers and troopers who fought in battles between Nazis and Soviets.
At the identical time, a search was carried out of his locker on the British embassy the place gadgets discovered included a cartoon of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, in a navy uniform, holding the top of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and the phrases “Russland bitte befreie uns noch einmal” – or “Russia, please free us once again”.
There was additionally a dictionary of Russian obscenities and a listing of official residences utilized by employees on the British embassy, Ms Morgan advised the Old Bailey.
The listening to continues.
Source: information.sky.com”