David Ballantyne Smith

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David Ballantyne Smith
Born
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Military career
ServiceEnsign of the Royal Air Force.svg  Royal Air Force

David Ballantyne Smith is a British former security guard who was convicted of espionage on behalf of Russia.

Contents

Early life

David 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

Smith 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

  1. 1 2 3 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.
  2. ↑ "British worker at UK embassy in Berlin pleads guilty to Russia spying charges". Reuters . London. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 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.
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