The trial of two men accused of spying for China was scheduled to begin this week in London. But prosecutors unexpectedly dropped the case last month.
Here’s what we know about why the case collapsed — and the uncomfortable question raised by its aftermath: Does Britain see China as an adversary, or as a friendly power with which it can do business?
What was the case?
In April 2024, two men — Christopher Cash, then a parliamentary researcher to Alicia Kearns, a senior Conservative lawmaker, and Christopher Berry, a teacher — were accused of gathering and providing information “prejudicial to the safety and interests” of Britain to China between December 2021 and February 2023. Both men denied the charges.
The law under which they were charged, the Official Secrets Act, dates from 1911 and criminalizes information gathering that is “useful to an enemy.”
Why did the case collapse?
Around the same time the men were charged, a legal dispute was developing in a separate case involving a Bulgarian group accused of spying for Russia. At issue was the word “enemy” in the Official Secrets Act. The Bulgarians’ defense lawyers argued that should apply only to a country that was at war with Britain or likely to be so in the foreseeable future.
The Court of Appeal later ruled that an enemy nation could be one that represented “a current threat to the national security of the U.K.”, such as Russia, adding, “Friendly powers would fall outside this definition.”
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The post Why a China Spy Case in the U.K. Collapsed Before It Went to Trial appeared first on New York Times.
