Man who tried to hand information to Russian spies convicted

A man who wanted to help the Russian Intelligence Service by leaking private information about the former Secretary of State for Defence has been convicted. 

Retired insolvency worker Howard Phillips, 65, told undercover agents who he thought were Russian spies that he could provide them with the personal details of Sir Grant Shapps, including details of his private plane, home address and phone number. 

Phillips, from Harlow in Essex had been in the process of gaining employment at the UK Border Force when he made contact with “Dima” and “Sasha” who he incorrectly believed to be Russian agents. 

He went on to meet with them at the London Bridge Hotel and later at a Costa coffee shop in west Thurrock, where he told the undercover officers to use the word “mother” as opposed to “Moscow” when discussing their activities – adding that he hoped mother would show her “full appreciation” for the work he was undertaking. 

Today at Winchester Crown Court he was convicted of one count of engaging in conduct to assist a foreign intelligence service, in breach of the National Security Act 2023. 

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.”

Howard Phillips will be sentenced at a later date.