Today, he claims to be “ashamed” of his actions. David Ballantyne Smith, a 58-year-old former guard at the British Embassy in Berlin, was sentenced Friday to 13 years and two months in prison for spying for Moscow. He had been caught in the act of transmitting sensitive documents to the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
“You established regular contact with someone at the Russian Embassy and that contact allowed you to pass on documents that you had obtained illegally,” Judge Mark Wall said in explaining his decision. “You have been paid by Russia for your betrayal,” he added.
Undermining British interests
When the verdict was announced, the former soldier, dressed in a sweater and blue jeans, appeared concentrated, his hands holding the helmet allowing him to clearly hear the judge’s decision. He had pleaded guilty to eight counts and admitted in particular to having violated the law on official secrecy. During his trial, he justified his actions by wanting to “give the embassy a little slap” because he felt that it was not treating him well, but judge Mark Wall rejected his arguments.
“I have come to the conclusion that the defendant’s main motivation for acting as he did was that he felt antipathy towards the United Kingdom, and that he wanted to undermine the interests of this country by providing information to a state which, then as now, is considered unfriendly,” he said on Thursday.
800 euros in cash
This man, married to a Ukrainian who returned to live in the east of his country in 2018 and who worked at the British embassy in Berlin, had been spotted by the British and German authorities after sending a letter in 2020 containing the contact details of certain personnel. from the British Embassy to a member of the military staff at the Russian Embassy in Berlin.
He had also made several videos of sensitive places in the embassy building, and 800 euros of cash had been found at his home without him being able to explain in a credible way the origin, had underlined the prosecution. A trap, involving two bogus Russian agents, had been set up to catch him in the act and he was arrested in August 2021.
Souvenirs from Russia and Putin cartoon
The prosecution also pointed out that David Smith had “made anti-West and anti-NATO remarks to other employees and had affirmed his support” for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Investigators had found Russian memorabilia at his apartment, including a life-size stuffed Rottweiler dog wearing a Russian military hat. A caricature of Vladimir Putin holding the head of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also found in his locker at his workplace.
Heard on Tuesday, the defendant, extradited in April 2022 to the United Kingdom, had assured that he wanted to “teach the embassy a lesson”, but not to have been paid for it. “Now that I’ve had a year and a half to look back, I feel disgusted with myself and ashamed of what I did,” he said.