Russia-spying by a former security at the British embassy in Berlin results in prison time

(cnn) ⸻ David Ballantyne Smith, a former security guard at the British embassy in Berlin, was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison at the Old Bailey in London on Friday after being caught spying for Russia. Smith had collected information from the British embassy "by stealth" between 2018 and 2021, some of which was clearly marked as "secret." He then sold the information to Russia as part of an "ongoing" relationship. The judge ruled that Smith was being paid by Russia in exchange for providing the secret information, and that he had copied a "significant amount of material" during his time at the embassy. Smith had pleaded guilty to eight charges under the Official Secrets Act by committing an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state in November 2021. Nick Price, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Smith's actions were not just driven by money and greed, but that he had "expressed a strong dislike towards the UK and Germany and expressed sympathy with the Russian authorities.""These beliefs may have caused further damage had Smith not been discovered and prosecuted."