David Ballantyne Smith is a British former security guard who was convicted of espionage on behalf of Russia.
David Ballantyne Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
| Military career | |
| Service |  Royal Air Force |
Early life
editDavid Ballantyne Smith was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland.[1] Smith enlisted in the Royal Air Force in 1985 and served for 12 years which included a posting to the former Fighter Command headquarters at Bentley Priory.[1] After leaving the RAF, he moved to Crawley, West Sussex and took a job as a flight auditor at Gatwick Airport, before leaving to work as a flight attendant, a position he kept until 2002.[1]
Espionage
editSmith pleaded guilty to eight offences under the Official Secrets Act on 4 November 2022.[2] He was sentenced to 13 years and two months' imprisonment.[3]
Following Smith's convictions, the Foreign Office carried out a security review of every member of embassy staff at a cost of £825,000.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Kirk, Tristan (17 February 2023). "David Smith: All we know about 'lonely' Russian spy with a grudge against Britain - and how he was caught". Evening Standard. ISSN 2041-4404. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "British worker at UK embassy in Berlin pleads guilty to Russia spying charges". Reuters. London. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
- ^ a b Symonds, Tom; Burns, Judith (17 February 2023). "Spy at UK's Berlin embassy jailed for selling secrets to Russia". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.