Latest news with #MI6
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Would-be spy who dreamt of being like 007 is found guilty of offering to work for Russia
Howard Phillips (65), from Harlow, Essex, intended to help two apparent Russian agents known as Sasha and Dima, including by passing on personal information about former defence secretary Grant Shapps, helping with travel logistics and booking hotels. But Dima and Sasha were undercover British intelligence officers, Winchester Crown Court previously heard. Yesterday, a jury found Phillips guilty under the National Security Act of assisting a foreign intelligence service, following a two-week trial. The jury reached a unanimous verdict after four hours and four minutes of deliberations. Phillips said nothing and shook his head in the dock as the verdict was given. Prosecutors said he intended to assist Russian agents from the end of 2023 until May last year. He offered to 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defence plans' He offered to pass on Mr Shapps's contact details, as well as the location where he kept his private plane, to 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defence plans', the trial heard. He was heard telling the men he wanted to work for Russia in exchange for financial independence from the UK. His ex-wife, Amanda Phillips, told the court he 'would dream about being like James Bond' and that he watched films to do with MI5 and MI6 because he was 'infatuated with it'. Ms Phillips told the court she was aware he had applied for a job at the UK Border Force in October 2023, which prosecutors said was part of his bid to assist Russia's intelligence service. ADVERTISEMENT Phillips previously claimed he had contacted the Russian embassy in early 2024 in a bid to track and expose Russian agents to assist Israel. He told jurors he ascertained 'from the onset' that Dima and Sasha were 'definitely not Russian' and were undercover individuals, but he carried on 'playing a role' around these agents in order to 'test the waters'. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded him in custody and adjourned sentencing to the 'earliest available date' in the autumn. She said she wanted a full pre-sentence report on the defendant before sentencing, as the conviction was for a 'relatively new' offence. Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command arrested Phillips in central London on May 16 last year after he travelled to the capital for a meeting with Dima and Sasha. Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan said: 'Phillips was unemployed and his primary motivation for wanting to become a spy for the Russian intelligence service was financial reward. 'His conviction should act as stark warning to anyone who thinks that carrying out illegal activity on behalf of a foreign state is an attractive or easy way to earn money. 'The reality is that we take this kind of activity extremely seriously. 'Those involved will be identified, investigated and, like Phillips, will face extremely serious consequences when they are convicted. 'This case is also another successful use of the National Security Act to prosecute someone who was attempting to undermine the security of the UK, and we will continue to use these powers available to us to help keep the public safe.' Phillips was unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter terrorism division, said: 'This conviction sends a clear message to anyone considering spying for or assisting Russia. 'Howard Phillips clearly outlined the services he was willing to provide for a hostile state. 'From gaining employment within the civil service and applying for security clearance to providing the personal details of the secretary of state for defence, Phillips was brazen in his pursuit for financial gain and unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country. 'It is a criminal offence to assist a foreign intelligence service, regardless of your motive or whether or not you succeed. 'We will always seek to prosecute anyone who poses a threat to the UK.'
Rhyl Journal
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
British man convicted of trying to spy for Russian intelligence service
Howard Phillips, 65, from Harlow, Essex, intended to help two apparent Russian agents called 'Sasha' and 'Dima', including by passing on personal information about former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps, helping with travel logistics and booking hotels. But 'Dima' and 'Sasha' were in fact undercover British intelligence officers, Winchester Crown Court previously heard. A jury found Phillips guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act on Tuesday, following a two-week trial at the same court. The jury reached a unanimous verdict after four hours and four minutes of deliberations. Phillips, wearing a dark suit and tie, silently shook his head in the dock as the verdict was given. Prosecutors said Phillips intended to assist Russian agents from the end of 2023 until May last year. Phillips offered to pass on Sir Grant's contact details as well as the location where he kept his private plane in order to 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defence plans', the trial heard. He was heard telling the men he wanted to work for Russia in exchange for financial independence from the UK. The defendant's ex-wife, Amanda Phillips, told the court during the trial that he 'would dream about being like James Bond', and that he watched films to do with MI5 and MI6 as he was 'infatuated with it'. Mrs Phillips told the court she was aware the defendant had applied for a job at the UK Border Force in October 2023, which prosecutors said was part of his bid to assist Russia's intelligence service. Phillips previously claimed he had contacted the Russian embassy in early 2024 in a bid to track and expose Russian agents to assist Israel. He told jurors he ascertained 'from the onset' that 'Dima' and 'Shasha' were 'definitely not Russian' and were undercover individuals, but that he carried on 'playing a role' around these agents in order to 'test the waters'. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded Phillips in custody and adjourned sentencing to the 'earliest available date' in the autumn. The judge said she wanted a full pre-sentence report on the defendant ahead of sentencing as the conviction was for a 'relatively new' offence. Addressing the jurors, she said: 'Thank you very much for the important work that you have done on this very important case. 'We are trying, as a system, to get to the right answers in these situations.' Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command arrested Phillips in central London on May 16 last year, after he travelled to the capital for a meeting with the two apparent Russian agents. Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan said: 'Phillips was unemployed and his primary motivation for wanting to become a spy for the Russian Intelligence Service was financial reward. 'His conviction should act as stark warning to anyone who thinks that carrying out illegal activity on behalf of a foreign state is an attractive or easy way to earn money. 'The reality is that we take this kind of activity extremely seriously. 'Those involved will be identified, investigated and, like Phillips, will face extremely serious consequences when they are convicted. 'This case is also another successful use of the National Security Act to prosecute someone who was attempting to undermine the security of the UK and we will continue to use these powers available to us to help keep the public safe.' Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter terrorism division, said: 'This conviction sends a clear message to anyone considering spying for or assisting Russia. 'Howard Phillips clearly outlined the services he was willing to provide for a hostile state. From gaining employment within the civil service and applying for security clearance, to providing the personal details of the Secretary of State for Defence – Phillips was brazen in his pursuit for financial gain and unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country. 'It is a criminal offence to assist a foreign intelligence service, regardless of your motive or whether or not you succeed. 'We will always seek to prosecute anyone who poses a threat to the UK.'
New York Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Sorry, Jeffrey Epstein truthers, the pedophile was no spy — here's why
It's almost conventional wisdom in certain quarters that Jeffrey Epstein must have been working for the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. 'It's extremely obvious to anyone who watches that this guy,' Tucker Carlson said of Epstein the other day, 'had direct connections to a foreign government. No one is allowed to say that that foreign government is Israel because we've been somehow cowed into thinking that that's naughty.' Steve Bannon, covering all his bases, says Epstein was working for Mossad, MI6, Saudi intelligence and the CIA, while Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA only says that Epstein may have been working for Mossad. Advertisement The first question to ask about this purported relationship is, why would Mossad want to associate itself with Epstein? He was under investigation for his sexual crimes going back to 2005 and convicted of a few of them (as part of a sweetheart plea deal) in 2008, and would be under federal investigation again about a decade later. Clearly, it would risk an enormous black eye for the state of Israel to connect itself to a known sex offender whose lifestyle was a flamboyant and ongoing crime scene. Advertisement What would be the supposed upside? Compromising information on the rich and powerful? Presumably there'd be much easier ways to honey-trap men with untoward sexual appetites than hope they become friendly with Jeffrey Epstein and compromise themselves on his private island. If the notion of Epstein as Israeli spy seems implausible, if not farcical, it's gotten some superficial plausibility from parts of the record that have been exaggerated or misinterpreted. Advertisement Perhaps most important, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida who worked out the plea deal with Epstein, Alex Acosta, supposedly said that he was told to go easy on Epstein by higher-ups in the Bush administration at the time because Epstein was with intelligence. Acosta allegedly said this as part of his vetting process to become President Donald Trump's first-term secretary of labor. But this didn't come directly from Acosta; rather, an unnamed source told the story to a reporter. Advertisement Acosta denies he ever said it. Asked about the matter at a press conference as labor secretary when the Epstein story reemerged, Acosta seemed to deny it — admittedly, in a halting and indirect fashion. As part of an extensive 2020 Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility report into the handling of the case by Acosta and the Southern District, Acosta told investigators that he had no information about Epstein being an intelligence asset, and that his answer at the press conference was meant to be a 'no.' The report related that OPR 'found no evidence suggesting that Epstein' was an ''intelligence asset,' or that anyone — including any of the subjects of OPR's investigation — believed that to be the case.' What about Epstein's well-documented relationship with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak? One assumes that a Mossad asset wouldn't spend inordinate time with a former high-ranking Israeli official. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Alan Dershowitz, who represented Epstein, maintains that he asked his client if he had contacts with intelligence agencies, and Epstein said 'no,' even though it would have been in his legal interest to disclose any relationships. Advertisement Regarding Epstein's death, which many believe was really a murder, the Mossad accusations get more fantastic. Israeli intelligence had to clean up after itself by killing an American citizen on US soil — in fact, while he was held in an American jail? By the way, if Mossad killed Epstein, and was capable of pulling off a no-fingerprints operation in extremely difficult circumstances on US soil, surely its agents would have killed his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell before she went to trial with an incentive to spill her guts. Advertisement All of this so beggars belief it's almost not worth addressing — except that influential voices on the right believe Israel might be behind one of the most hideous scandals in recent American life. Twitter: @RichLowry
Powys County Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
British man convicted of trying to spy for Russian intelligence service
A British man who 'dreamt about being like James Bond' has been found guilty of trying to spy for what he believed to be Russian intelligence service agents. Howard Phillips, 65, from Harlow, Essex, intended to help two apparent Russian agents called 'Sasha' and 'Dima', including by passing on personal information about former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps, helping with travel logistics and booking hotels. But 'Dima' and 'Sasha' were in fact undercover British intelligence officers, Winchester Crown Court previously heard. A jury found Phillips guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act on Tuesday, following a two-week trial at the same court. The jury reached a unanimous verdict after four hours and four minutes of deliberations. Phillips, wearing a dark suit and tie, silently shook his head in the dock as the verdict was given. Prosecutors said Phillips intended to assist Russian agents from the end of 2023 until May last year. Phillips offered to pass on Sir Grant's contact details as well as the location where he kept his private plane in order to 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defence plans', the trial heard. He was heard telling the men he wanted to work for Russia in exchange for financial independence from the UK. The defendant's ex-wife, Amanda Phillips, told the court during the trial that he 'would dream about being like James Bond', and that he watched films to do with MI5 and MI6 as he was 'infatuated with it'. Mrs Phillips told the court she was aware the defendant had applied for a job at the UK Border Force in October 2023, which prosecutors said was part of his bid to assist Russia's intelligence service. Phillips previously claimed he had contacted the Russian embassy in early 2024 in a bid to track and expose Russian agents to assist Israel. He told jurors he ascertained 'from the onset' that 'Dima' and 'Shasha' were 'definitely not Russian' and were undercover individuals, but that he carried on 'playing a role' around these agents in order to 'test the waters'. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded Phillips in custody and adjourned sentencing to the 'earliest available date' in the autumn. The judge said she wanted a full pre-sentence report on the defendant ahead of sentencing as the conviction was for a 'relatively new' offence. Addressing the jurors, she said: 'Thank you very much for the important work that you have done on this very important case. 'We are trying, as a system, to get to the right answers in these situations.' Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command arrested Phillips in central London on May 16 last year, after he travelled to the capital for a meeting with the two apparent Russian agents. Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan said: 'Phillips was unemployed and his primary motivation for wanting to become a spy for the Russian Intelligence Service was financial reward. 'His conviction should act as stark warning to anyone who thinks that carrying out illegal activity on behalf of a foreign state is an attractive or easy way to earn money. 'The reality is that we take this kind of activity extremely seriously. 'Those involved will be identified, investigated and, like Phillips, will face extremely serious consequences when they are convicted. 'This case is also another successful use of the National Security Act to prosecute someone who was attempting to undermine the security of the UK and we will continue to use these powers available to us to help keep the public safe.' Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter terrorism division, said: 'This conviction sends a clear message to anyone considering spying for or assisting Russia. 'Howard Phillips clearly outlined the services he was willing to provide for a hostile state. From gaining employment within the civil service and applying for security clearance, to providing the personal details of the Secretary of State for Defence – Phillips was brazen in his pursuit for financial gain and unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country. 'It is a criminal offence to assist a foreign intelligence service, regardless of your motive or whether or not you succeed. 'We will always seek to prosecute anyone who poses a threat to the UK.'
Glasgow Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
British man convicted of trying to spy for Russian intelligence service
Howard Phillips, 65, from Harlow, Essex, intended to help two apparent Russian agents called 'Sasha' and 'Dima', including by passing on personal information about former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps, helping with travel logistics and booking hotels. But 'Dima' and 'Sasha' were in fact undercover British intelligence officers, Winchester Crown Court previously heard. A jury found Phillips guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act on Tuesday, following a two-week trial at the same court. The jury reached a unanimous verdict after four hours and four minutes of deliberations. Phillips, wearing a dark suit and tie, silently shook his head in the dock as the verdict was given. Prosecutors said Phillips intended to assist Russian agents from the end of 2023 until May last year. Phillips offered to pass on Sir Grant's contact details as well as the location where he kept his private plane in order to 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defence plans', the trial heard. He was heard telling the men he wanted to work for Russia in exchange for financial independence from the UK. The defendant's ex-wife, Amanda Phillips, told the court during the trial that he 'would dream about being like James Bond', and that he watched films to do with MI5 and MI6 as he was 'infatuated with it'. Mrs Phillips told the court she was aware the defendant had applied for a job at the UK Border Force in October 2023, which prosecutors said was part of his bid to assist Russia's intelligence service. Phillips previously claimed he had contacted the Russian embassy in early 2024 in a bid to track and expose Russian agents to assist Israel. He told jurors he ascertained 'from the onset' that 'Dima' and 'Shasha' were 'definitely not Russian' and were undercover individuals, but that he carried on 'playing a role' around these agents in order to 'test the waters'. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded Phillips in custody and adjourned sentencing to the 'earliest available date' in the autumn. The judge said she wanted a full pre-sentence report on the defendant ahead of sentencing as the conviction was for a 'relatively new' offence. Addressing the jurors, she said: 'Thank you very much for the important work that you have done on this very important case. 'We are trying, as a system, to get to the right answers in these situations.' Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command arrested Phillips in central London on May 16 last year, after he travelled to the capital for a meeting with the two apparent Russian agents. Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan said: 'Phillips was unemployed and his primary motivation for wanting to become a spy for the Russian Intelligence Service was financial reward. 'His conviction should act as stark warning to anyone who thinks that carrying out illegal activity on behalf of a foreign state is an attractive or easy way to earn money. 'The reality is that we take this kind of activity extremely seriously. 'Those involved will be identified, investigated and, like Phillips, will face extremely serious consequences when they are convicted. 'This case is also another successful use of the National Security Act to prosecute someone who was attempting to undermine the security of the UK and we will continue to use these powers available to us to help keep the public safe.' Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter terrorism division, said: 'This conviction sends a clear message to anyone considering spying for or assisting Russia. 'Howard Phillips clearly outlined the services he was willing to provide for a hostile state. From gaining employment within the civil service and applying for security clearance, to providing the personal details of the Secretary of State for Defence – Phillips was brazen in his pursuit for financial gain and unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country. 'It is a criminal offence to assist a foreign intelligence service, regardless of your motive or whether or not you succeed. 'We will always seek to prosecute anyone who poses a threat to the UK.'
