Seven other charges involve gathering information that could be useful to Russia, four of which relate to MI5 officers posing as “Dmitry”, a Russian national allegedly providing aid to Britain. Was.
Earlier this week, Smith told the court he was ashamed of his actions and said he filmed the documents after drinking “seven pints of beer”.
He said it “seemed to be a good idea at the time” but added that he had not given the documents to anyone because “it would deliberately harm the UK”.
But the judge rejected Smith’s evidence that he felt remorse, saying: “Your remorse is nothing more than self-pity.”
Wall said that Smith was motivated by his anti-British and pro-Russian views, which were “the direct cause of your disgrace”.
The judge told Smith, “I am sure you committed these crimes with the intention of assisting Russia, a state which was then, as now, considered unfriendly to the United Kingdom.” “Your motive in helping them was to harm British interests.”
They also rejected evidence from Smith that he committed the crimes when he was struggling with his mental health.
Wall said, “I don’t see any logical reason between depression and your decision to betray your country.”