UK drops charges against 2 men accused of spying for China

Authorities say two men accused of spying for China in Britain including a former researcher working in the U.K. Parliament will not face trial

LONDON -- Two men who were accused of spying for China in Britain, including a former researcher working in the U.K. Parliament, will no longer face prosecution, authorities said Monday.

Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, had denied violating the Official Secrets Act by providing information or documents that could be “useful to an enemy” and “prejudicial to the safety or interests” of the U.K. between late 2021 and February 2023.

Cash was a parliamentary researcher who worked with senior lawmakers focused on security and foreign affairs from the Conservative Party. Berry is reportedly an academic based in Oxfordshire who had taught in China since 2015.

They were accused of being in contact with each other and a person suspected of being a Chinese intelligence agent.

The men were due to go on trial next month at London's Central Criminal Court, but prosecutors said Monday the case could not continue.

“The evidence in this case has been kept under continuous review and it has now been determined that the evidential standard for the offence indicted is no longer met,” the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. "No further evidence will be offered.”

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