A British Embassy spy who was was motivated by an "extreme hate" of his workplace and the UK put lives at risk by selling secrets to the Russians, a court heard.
David Ballantyne Smith, 58, gathered a mass of classified information for Russia while working as a security guard in the British Embassy in Berlin.
The Scotsman shared letters between the then Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson that were classified as 'secret'.
He was unmasked in a joint investigation by German police and British security services and arrested at his home in Potsdam in August 2021.
Smith was motivated by 'an extreme hatred of where he works and the United Kingdom in general', the court has heard.
Justice Mark Wall will sentence Smith after the week-long hearing, which is underway with Smith due to give evidence later today.
At the time of Smith's arrest in Germany, Alison Morgan, KC, prosecuting said: "There is no record of him providing any account or information to authorities at that time."
After his arrest, a journalist took pictures in Smith's accommodation and captured a large Russian Federation flag in his home.
A bookshelf was packed with various Russian books and a Soviet military hat sat on top of it.
Also pictured at his home was a Communist toy Lada car - a Russian state-owned car manufacturer - and a life-sized cuddly Russian toy Rottweiler wearing a Russian Military hat.
Ms Morgan told the Old Bailey: "There were various books about young female Russian snipers and soldiers who fought in battles between the Nazi's and the Soviets.
"So various Russian paraphernalia within the defendant's address.
"Also found at the address were various documents including documents from gov.uk regarding Russia, Embassy Defence Attache compliments slips and a Post-It note with two names and addresses."
Within his locker at work also found was a list of official residences of the British Embassy, a dictionary of Russian obscenities and a cartoon of President Putin in a military uniform holding the head of Angela Merkel and the words "Russland bitte befreie uns noch einmal" meaning "Russia, please free us once again".
Smith was extradited from Berlin to London Heathrow where he was arrested on 6 April 2022.
When approached by a British security worker known as 'Irina' who was posing as a member of the Russian security services, Smith was shown photographs of individuals he might recognise.
Ms Morgan said: "His failure to end the conversation, his failure to respond, is consistent with him trying to work out whether this was genuinely a Russian official he could engage with or if he should say anything.
"He told Irina that he would have to check with someone.
"The video shows the defendant engaging in general discussion about the Embassy, displaying some kind of contempt for his employment, saying he's worked there for five years too long."
The prosecution argues that the aggravating features of Smith's offending are the prolific nature of his activities occurring over a three-year period and acquiring vast amounts of sensitive material.
In addition, prosecutors cite the highly sensitive nature of the material, which Smith must have realised placed the lives of others at risk and the fact that the defendant instigated contact with the Russian state.
They say the offending occurred in the context of Smith's pre-existing anti-UK views, at a time when he remained employed by the UK authorities and he received financial gain.
Smith, originally from Paisley, Scotland, has admitted eight offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 and 1920, committed between May 2020 and August 2021.
The charges state he committed an act prejudicial to the safety or interest of the State and the information he shared was calculated to be, or might be useful to an enemy, namely the Russian State.
According to guidelines, he could face up to 14 years in prison.
The guard denied a ninth like-offence alleging he leaked information about embassy building repairs on 6 August 2021 and the charge is expected to be ordered to lie on file.
The hearing scheduled to conclude on Friday was a Newton hearing, which occurs when the defendant has pleaded guilty to the offence, but on the basis of a different version of facts from that of the prosecution.
