British man convicted of assisting Russian intelligence

A British man was found guilty on July 22 of assisting a foreign intelligence service by offering personal information about former defence minister Grant Shapps to individuals he believed were Russian agents but who were, in fact, undercover British officers.

Howard Phillips, 65, provided Shapps’ home address, phone number, and details about his private plane as part of his efforts to assist the supposed Russian intelligence operatives. He also offered logistical support, including booking a hotel and buying a mobile phone for the foreign service, prosecutors said, Caliber.Az reports per Reuters.

At Winchester Crown Court, Phillips denied the charge of engaging in conduct intended to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. He testified that he was trying to "trap and expose a foreign agent," but a jury convicted him under the National Security Act. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward told the court that Phillips was motivated "not necessarily for ideological reasons or because he sympathised with the Russian state," but by a desire to undertake "easy – and, perhaps, interesting or exciting – work for easy money."

Phillips was first approached in March 2024 by two men using the names Sasha and Dima. They asked him to save a file onto a clean USB stick, explain what he could offer and why, and hide the device inside a parked bicycle on a London street. He later met with Dima in May 2024 and disclosed the sensitive information about Shapps.

By Sabina Mammadli