Academic Christopher Berry, a 33-year-old from Witney, Oxfordshire, was detained at Heathrow Airport in February 2023 under terrorism laws after arriving from China with £4,000 in cash in his suitcase. The money is believed to have been given to him by a Chinese intelligence handler known only as 'Alex'.
Berry was stopped under Schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, which allows police to intervene when they suspect involvement in hostile activity linked to a foreign state. His phone and laptop were seized, leading to the discovery of his connection to parliamentary researcher Chris Cash.
Prosecutors alleged that Berry produced at least 34 reports on politically sensitive topics for a Chinese agent, ten of which were considered prejudicial to national security. Both Berry and Cash were charged with providing information to China that could harm UK interests, but the charges were dropped last month. The two men deny wrongdoing, and the Chinese Embassy has called the allegations 'pure fabrication and malicious slander'.
