And the British “Sky News” network reported that David Smith, 58, pleaded guilty to 8 charges against him, according to the Government Secrets Act.
However, he said he did not want to cause any harm.
The court issued its decision according to him for a period of 13 years and two months, and he can spend the period in Britain or Germany.
Commenting on the case, the Minister of State for Security Affairs, Tom Tugendhat, described in a tweet on “Twitter” the convicted embassy employee as a “traitor”.
“He betrayed us all and endangered our embassy and our country,” he added.
“betrayal of trust”
Smith claimed he fell into a state of depression when he began leaking embassy secrets.
But Judge Justice Wall refused to take his word for it, during the court held at the “Old Pele” in London, and said that the convict had collected a large amount of information to harm British interests, by sending this information to a “hostile power”, which is Russia.
Addressing the convict, the judge added, “Your job was to ensure the security of the embassy and its staff. (Your crime) was the most blatant breach of trust that was given to you.”
He pointed out that the information collected by Smith caused a state of anxiety and tension among the embassy staff and their families.
Leaked documents
According to the court, the security employee at the embassy took pictures and documents from the offices and drawers of the embassy, as the surveillance cameras showed.
And the transfer of that information, which included the personal data of embassy staff, including private correspondence with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to the Russians.
“Operation Scorpion”
The British authorities were able to uncover the spy through a special operation called “Scorpion”, in which a British intelligence agent impersonated a Russian dissident named Dmitry.
The agent offered embassy staff to transfer private information to the British authorities, in the presence of Smith.
During this client’s visit to the embassy, Smith was asked to copy what was believed to be secret Russian documents and a SIM card, and the security officer kept an additional copy of those alleged documents.
Those documents and the slide were later found at his home.
The process of securing the British Embassy in Berlin, after discovering the spy, cost about one million dollars.
Contrary to the well-known image of clients who show no sympathy for their employers, Smith’s colleagues heard him sympathize with Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticize Britain and Germany.
He has publicly expressed his support for the Russian-backed rebels in the Donbass region.
Smith was punished for crimes committed in 2020, but the judge believed that he began collecting information in 2018, and the spy was arrested the following year.
On August 10, 2021, Germany announced the arrest of Smith, while he was working at the British Embassy in Berlin, on suspicion of spying for Russia.
According to reports, the police arrested the man in Potsdam, outside Berlin, after a joint investigation between the German and British authorities.
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