UK drops case against two men accused of spying for China

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(This story has been corrected to change Cash’s lawyer’s name to James Mulholland, from Henry Blaxland in paragraph 5)

By Sam Tobin and Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) – British prosecutors said on Monday they were dropping charges of spying for China against two men, including a former researcher for a senior British lawmaker, saying there was not enough evidence to proceed with the high-profile case.

The men, ex-researcher Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, both British nationals, were due to go on trial next month accused of espionage offences, which they had denied.

However, prosecutor Tom Little told London’s Old Bailey Court on Monday that the case against the men no longer met the evidential threshold, adding: “We simply cannot continue to prosecute.”

The government expressed regret at the decision.

TWO MEN WERE ACCUSED OF PASSING ON INFORMATION TO CHINA

Cash’s lawyer Henry Blaxland said his client, who had worked at the China Research Group, was “entirely innocent and should never have been arrested, let alone charged”.

“While I am relieved that justice has been served today, the last two and a half years have been a nightmare for me and my family,” Cash said outside court. He added that he hoped “lessons are learned from this sorry episode”.

The men, who were first arrested in March 2023 and then charged in April 2024, were accused of providing information prejudicial to the interests of the state in breach of the Official Secrets Act between December 2021 and February 2023.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported that Cash had been arrested while working as a researcher in Parliament for Conservative lawmaker Alicia Kearns, who then chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Prosecutors said the men were friends and that Berry had worked in China in various posts since 2015. They were said to have passed politically sensitive information to a Chinese intelligence agent.

The case was one of a number in Britain involving accusations of espionage on behalf of Beijing.

The British government has previously said Chinese spies were targeting British officials in sensitive positions in politics, defence and business as part of an increasingly sophisticated spying operation to gain access to secrets.

“It is disappointing they will not face trial given the seriousness of the allegations,” Britain’s Home Office (interior ministry) said in a statement, adding the decision was made by prosecutors, independent of government.

“We will continue to use the full range of tools and powers to guard against malign activity.”

China has dismissed spying allegations as being hyped, saying the accusations in relation to Berry and Cash were fabricated and “malicious slander”.

There was no immediate comment from the Chinese embassy in London.

(Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Sarah Young and Gareth Jones)