Ex-security guard at UK Embassy in Berlin gets 13 years over spying for Russia

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – In London on Friday, a security guard at the British Embassy who was caught spying for Russia in Berlin was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison.

During a hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, Smith was sentenced to over 13 years but can serve the term in either Germany or the UK.

David Ballantyne Smith, 58, pleaded guilty to eight charges under the Official Secrets Act 1911 and 1920 but claimed that he did not intentionally cause any harm.

In a televised hearing, the judge said that Smith copied a "significant amount of material."

Smith was arrested by German police in August 2021, with his reported offenses having been carried out between October 2020 and then.

He was detained in Potsdam, Germany after being monitored by MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence service. British and German authorities carried out a joint investigation and searched his home and office. Last April, he was extradited from Germany.