‘James Bond’ Fantasy Ends in Seven-Year Prison Sentence
A 66-year-old man from Essex, who fantasised about being a spy like James Bond, has been jailed for seven years after attempting to pass sensitive information to individuals he believed were Russian agents.
Howard Phillips, from Harlow, was found guilty at Winchester Crown Court of assisting a foreign intelligence service, an offence under the National Security Act. The court heard that from the end of 2023 until May 2024, Phillips offered his services to two men known as ‘Sasha’ and ‘Dima’.
Unbeknownst to him, the pair were actually undercover British intelligence officers running a sophisticated sting operation.
Betrayal of Trust and National Security
Phillips, a former City worker, offered to provide the ‘agents’ with the contact details of the then Defence Secretary, Sir Grant Shapps, and the location of his private plane. His intention was to ‘facilitate the Russians in listening to British defence plans’.
In a victim impact statement, Sir Grant expressed his shock and concern for his family's safety. He revealed he had once been a guest at Phillips' home, calling his actions ‘a complete breach of trust’.
‘He chose to take whatever information he had and attempted to sell it to a foreign intelligence service, putting myself, my family and ultimately the country at risk,’ Sir Grant told the court.
Motivated by Money, Not Ideology
Sentencing Phillips, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated he was ‘prepared to betray your country for money’. She confirmed he was not ideologically driven but motivated by financial gain, having taken a ‘grave risk’ without caring about the damage he could cause.
The judge described Phillips as having ‘a personality with narcissistic tendencies and an overblown sense of his own importance’. This was echoed by the defence, with Jeremy Dein KC portraying his client as an ‘eccentric fantasist’ whose life had collapsed and who was desperate for money.
Phillips' ex-wife, Amanda Phillips, testified that he ‘would dream about being like James Bond’ and was infatuated with spy films.
Despite Phillips' claims that he was trying to expose Russian agents to help Israel, the jury found him guilty. Security Minister Dan Jarvis welcomed the sentence, affirming that ‘our national security is not for sale’.
