RT.com
08 Oct 2025, 04:44 GMT+10
Prosecutors dropped the investigation last month over a lack of evidence
Top UK security officials will face a probe over a dropped case over two "Chinese spies", Bloomberg wrote on Tuesday. British newspapers have attributed the move to an attempt to not sour relations with Beijing, one of London's biggest trade partners.
Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher, were charged with sharing "prejudicial information" with China in April of last year. They have repeatedly denied all allegations since their arrest in 2023. Beijing has consistently branded London's accusations of alleged spying as a "groundless and unacceptable smear."
Last month, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped charges against the two men just weeks before trial. Despite the prosecutors citing a lack of evidence, the decision sparked outrage among MPs.
Top security officials are expected to be grilled on the collapsed case at an upcoming parliamentary committee meeting, Bloomberg cited its anonymous source as saying.
According to UK Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson, the case was dropped due to a lack of testimony.
None of the witness statements provided stated that China "represented a threat to national security," and by August of this year, the prosecution realized that "this evidence would not be forthcoming," he wrote in a letter to MPs on Tuesday.
Parkinson cited a case from earlier this year, in which the CPS convicted six Bulgarian nationals of feeding information to Russia, which was ruled an "enemy" for the purposes of the Official Secrets Act.
Moscow at the time denied the spying allegations, accusing London of trying to stir up anti-Russian hysteria.
The British government has said it was not to blame for torpedoing the investigation, adding it was a decision made by prosecutors who relied on language used by the previous government in its China policy.
London has recently moved to rebuild trade ties with Beijing, resuming Joint Economic and Trade Commission talks last month after a seven-year freeze.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Bristol Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Bristol Star.
More InformationLONDON, U.K.: Britain's Supreme Court ruled in April that under equality laws, sex refers to biological sex, meaning transgender women...
MANCHESTER, UK - One of two people killed in Thursday's attack on a synagogue in Manchester was likely killed by police responding...
Prosecutors dropped the investigation last month over a lack of evidence Top UK security officials will face a probe over a dropped...
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has rejected Finnish claims that Russia breached international rules Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman...
(Photo credit: Nick Oza/The Republic via Imagn Content Services, LLC) Team Vitality, MOUZ and FURIA were the third, fourth and fifth...
London [UK], October 7 (ANI): In a special gesture, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood with his business delegation for a photo...
LOS ANGELES, California: The Trump administration is offering unaccompanied migrant children US$2,500 to voluntarily return to their...
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The Netherlands' highest court has ordered the government to reassess its suspended license for exporting F-35...
(Pictured: Sergeant Alon Amitay, 21, of Ramot Naftali; Sergeant Omri Tamari, 19, of Mazkeret Batya; Sergeant Yosef Hieb , 19, of Tuba-Zangariyye;...
PARIS, France - France's new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu who was sworn in just a month ago, has resigned. The country's fifth...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: The parents of a 19-year-old college student killed in a Tesla crash have filed a lawsuit claiming she was...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: On the morning of October 2, as thousands of federal employees remained at home facing furloughs and the looming...
