UK drops case against two men accused of spying for China
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A Police car is seen in Liverpool, Britain August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz
By Sam Tobin and Michael Holden
LONDON - British prosecutors said on Monday they were dropping charges of spying for China against two men, including a former researcher for a senior British lawmaker, saying there was not enough evidence to proceed.
Former director of the China Research Group think tank Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, were due to go on trial next month accused of espionage, which they denied.
However, prosecutor Tom Little told London's Old Bailey Court on Monday that the case against the pair, both British nationals, no longer met the evidential threshold.
"While I am relieved that justice has been served today, the last two and a half years have been a nightmare for me and my family," Cash said outside court, adding that he hoped lessons would be learned.
The men, first arrested in March 2023 and then charged in April 2024, were accused of providing information prejudicial to the interests of the state in breach of the Official Secrets Act between December 2021 and February 2023.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported that Cash had been arrested while working as a researcher in parliament for Conservative lawmaker Alicia Kearns, who then chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee.
ACCUSED OF PASSING SENSITIVE INFORMATION TO CHINA
Prosecutors said the men were friends and that Berry had worked in China in various posts since 2015. They were accused of passing politically sensitive information to a Chinese intelligence agent.
The case was one of a number in Britain involving accusations of espionage on behalf of Beijing.
London has previously said Chinese spies were targeting British officials in sensitive positions in politics, defence and business as part of an increasingly sophisticated operation to gain access to secrets.
The British government expressed regret at Monday's collapse of the case. "It is disappointing they will not face trial given the seriousness of the allegations," the Home Office (interior ministry) said of the decision made by independent prosecutors.
"We will continue to use the full range of tools and powers to guard against malign activity."
Cash's lawyer Henry Blaxland said his client was totally innocent and should never have been arrested or charged.
Cash's colleagues were surprised by the accusations as he "did more than almost anybody to insist on informing parliamentarians of the security risk" of doing business with China, Blaxland told the court.
China has dismissed spying allegations as hyped, saying the accusations against Berry and Cash were "malicious slander".
There was no immediate comment from its embassy in London.
(Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Sarah Young, Gareth Jones and Andrew Cawthorne // REUTERS)
