"Christopher Berry, the man at the heart of a controversial and now-abandoned Chinese espionage case, appeared to be aware that he was supplying information to a non-commercial client, according to messages seen by the Guardian. In August 2022, Berry sent a voice note saying that they want me to work for them directly instead of going through the company. The messages are included in an expert report written for Berry's defence team by Kerry Brown, the director of the Lau China Institute at King's College"
"In a statement on 16 October, Berry said his reports were provided to a Chinese company which I believed had clients wishing to develop trading links with the UK. Those reports contained no classified information and concerned economic and commercial issues widely discussed in the UK at the time and drew on information freely in the public domain, together with political conjecture, much of which proved to be inaccurate, he said."
"Berry and the former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash, who were charged under the Official Secrets Act, have maintained their innocence and were also approached for comment on Monday. Berry's lawyer said they would be making no further comment. They were charged in April 2024 in relation to more than 30 reports that Berry wrote for a Chinese handler between December 2021 and February 2023. The Guardian understands that Berry was paid about 20,000 for these reports. Cash did not receive any money."
Christopher Berry sent messages indicating awareness that some contacts came from a non-commercial client and that a party wanted him to work for them directly rather than through a company. An expert defence report by Kerry Brown includes those messages. Berry and former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024 over more than 30 reports Berry wrote between December 2021 and February 2023. Berry was paid about 20,000 for the reports while Cash received no money. Berry stated the reports contained no classified information and concerned publicly available economic and commercial matters, some conjectural and inaccurate.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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