A retired insolvency worker from Essex has been sentenced to seven years in prison after attempting to provide personal information about Defence Secretary Sir Grant Shapps to individuals he believed were Russian intelligence agents.
The Fantasy World of a Would-Be Spy
Howard Phillips, 66, described by his own lawyer as a 'fantasist', was convicted in July of attempting to assist a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act. The Harlow resident apparently dreamed of emulating James Bond but instead found himself facing a substantial prison sentence at Winchester Crown Court.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told Phillips during sentencing on Friday that he had been 'prepared to betray your country for money'. She noted that while he wasn't ideologically driven, his motivation was financial gain, and he 'took a grave risk and didn't care what damage you caused'.
Undercover Operation Exposes Treachery
The court heard how Phillips had offered his services to two men he knew as 'Sasha' and 'Dima', who he believed were Russian intelligence officers. In reality, they were undercover British intelligence officers who had caught him in a sophisticated sting operation.
Between the end of 2023 and May 2024, Phillips offered to provide Sir Grant Shapps's contact details and even the location where the Defence Secretary kept his private plane. Prosecutors stated this information could have helped 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defence plans'.
Jocelyn Ledward KC, prosecuting, revealed that Phillips had been motivated by money to offer what she described as a 'concierge service' to the fake Russian agents. The court heard he had 'lived well beyond his means for some time' and was even reliant on others for housing, having previously lived in his car.
Breach of Trust and National Security
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Sir Grant Shapps expressed his shock at discovering Phillips's activities and his concern for his family's safety. The Defence Secretary recalled having dinner at Phillips's home after moving to the area in 2002, describing the betrayal as 'a complete breach of trust'.
'He chose to take whatever information he had and attempted to sell it to a foreign intelligence service thereby, wantonly, putting myself, my family and ultimately the country at risk', Sir Grant stated.
He emphasised the seriousness of the situation, noting that 'the UK has enough to do dealing with external threats, it's shocking to find that someone in the neighbourhood would think it a good idea to try to sell information about the UK defence secretary to an unfriendly foreign state'.
A Life Unravelled
Jeremy Dein KC, defending Phillips, described his client as 'eccentric', 'zany' and a 'fantasist' who had made a 'monumental error of judgment'. He argued that Phillips had acted to 'boost his own ego' after his life had 'collapsed'.
'This was an ageing man whose life had collapsed, who was clearly not thinking straight and was desperate for money', Mr Dein told the court. 'There is nothing to suggest that, thinking straight, Mr Phillips would have wanted to undermine the United Kingdom.'
The court heard that Phillips's ex-wife, Amanda Phillips, testified that he 'would dream about being like James Bond' and was 'infatuated' with spy films involving MI5 and MI6.
During his trial, Phillips claimed he had contacted the Russian embassy in early 2024 in an attempt to track and expose Russian agents to assist Israel. He told jurors he knew from the beginning that 'Dima' and 'Sasha' were 'definitely not Russian' and that he was merely 'playing a role' to test the waters.
However, the jury rejected his explanation and found him guilty of the espionage charges.
Security Services Send Strong Message
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, stated after the hearing: 'This case demonstrates the serious consequences for anyone who thinks working on behalf of the Russian intelligence service is a way of earning easy money.'
Security Minister Dan Jarvis added: 'Those who offer their services to foreign powers seeking to undermine the UK will be stopped - our national security is not for sale.'
The judge noted that Phillips had 'a personality with narcissistic tendencies and an overblown sense of his own importance' and was 'unwilling to own up in public that he was prepared to behave in a dishonourable and treacherous way'.
She also observed that Phillips 'clearly kept up with current affairs and he would have been informed of the extreme actions Russia is prepared to undertake against its targets', making his actions all the more concerning.
Thanks to what the judge described as 'the deliberate work of the security services', Phillips was caught before he could provide 'material assistance to a foreign intelligence service', ensuring the danger was averted.
