British embassy guard who spied for Russia jailed for 'treachery'

FILE PHOTO: David Ballantyne Smith takes video of CCTV monitors at the security kiosk of the British Embassy in Berlin, Germany, August 3, 2020, in this still image taken from a video played in court at the Old Bailey, in London, Britain, February 13, 2023. Metropolitan Police/Handout via REUTERS

A former security guard at the British embassy in Berlin who passed highly sensitive information to Russia and was paid for his "treachery" was jailed for more than 13 years in a London court on Friday.

David Ballantyne Smith, 58, collected confidential information for more than three years, including a "secret" letter from ministers to then-prime minister Boris Johnson and other sensitive documents.