British man guilty of betraying UK secrets in a delusional bid to serve Russian intelligence
A 65-year-old Essex man who fantasised about being a real-life James Bond has been convicted of trying to spy for Russia by passing sensitive information to men he believed were Kremlin agents.
Howard Phillips, from Harlow, stood motionless in the dock at Winchester Crown Court as jurors returned a unanimous verdict, finding him guilty under the National Security Act of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
But the would-be spy hadn’t been dealing with Moscow’s finest. The “agents” he thought he was helping—Sasha and Dima—were in fact undercover operatives from British intelligence. Unaware he was caught in a sting, Phillips boasted of having “connections in high places” and offered his “100% loyalty and dedication” to Russia in exchange for what he hoped would be financial reward and espionage glory.
His delusion ran deep. According to his ex-wife Amanda Phillips, the pensioner was “infatuated” with British intelligence, bingeing films about MI5 and MI6 and fantasising about living the life of a secret agent.
In October 2023, Phillips even applied for a job with the UK Border Force, prosecutors argued, as part of his plot to embed himself in the civil service and assist Russia from within.
But the most alarming revelation came during one of his secret meetings in May 2024. Phillips told the supposed Russian agents that he had access to the home address of then-defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps. The meeting, which took place at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex, was part of a broader operation in which he delivered personal information and offered to act as a mole.
He urged his handlers to refer to Moscow as “mother” in their communications, stating he hoped “mother” would show her “full appreciation” for his efforts. Weeks earlier, he’d left a USB stick hidden in a bicycle seat near Euston and St Pancras stations in London. The device contained a message to Russia, pledging loyalty and asserting he would be “invaluable to a foreign power.”
Phillips’ fantasies came crashing down on 16 May 2024, when plain-clothed police officers arrested him near King’s Cross shortly after another clandestine meet-up with “Sasha.”
His conviction marks one of the first under the UK’s strengthened National Security Act, and prosecutors wasted no time stressing the seriousness of his betrayal.
“Phillips clearly outlined the services he was willing to provide for a hostile state,” said Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division. “He was brazen in his pursuit of financial gain and utterly indifferent to the harm he could have caused his own country.”
Security Minister Dan Jarvis echoed the sentiment, praising the “world-class law enforcement” that brought Phillips to justice.
Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded the pensioner in custody and confirmed that sentencing would take place in autumn at the earliest available date.
While no classified material reached hostile hands thanks to the sting, the case has sent a chilling reminder through Westminster: even deluded amateurs with a taste for spy films can pose a serious threat when they believe they’re acting for a foreign enemy.
