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Conflicting Testimonies Arise in Failed Espionage Case Against China
The recent collapse of the criminal case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, who were accused of spying for China under the Official Secrets Act, has sparked conflicting accounts from key figures involved. Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson stated that the case could not progress due to the government’s deputy national security adviser, Matt Collins, being hesitant to classify China as an active threat to national security. However, Mr. Collins countered this claim during his testimony before a parliamentary committee, revealing that he had been advised that his evidence would suffice.
Mr. Collins, who was poised to be a crucial government witness in the trial, expressed his surprise when he was informed on September 3rd that the case would be dropped. Despite acknowledging the challenges of the case, he maintained that he had been working towards supporting a successful prosecution. On the other hand, lead prosecuting barrister Tom Little KC suggested that Mr. Collins should have realized the prosecution’s collapse was inevitable without additional evidence to support the case. The revelation that Mr. Collins was not willing to assert that China posed an active threat to national security led to the prosecution coming to an abrupt halt.
During the session, Mr. Collins outlined the various threats posed by China to national security, including espionage, cyber threats, threats to democratic institutions, and economic security. However, he maintained that he was not inclined to label China as an active threat, citing government policy at the time. Despite providing evidence detailing the threats posed by China in cyberspace and to the UK’s democratic institutions, Mr. Collins refrained from categorizing the country as a threat to national security in his subsequent witness statements.
Following the submission of Mr. Collins’s initial witness statement in December 2023, prosecutors believed they had adequate evidence to charge Mr. Cash and Mr. Berry under the Official Secrets Act. However, a court ruling in 2024 altered the requirements for evidence, prompting prosecutors to seek further witness statements from Mr. Collins in the hopes of obtaining a declaration that China was a threat to national security. The parliamentary committee is set to hear additional evidence from Attorney General Lord Hermer and senior minister Darren Jones on Wednesday
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