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Seven-Year Sentence for Essex Man Who Tried to Become a Russian Agent
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A 66-year-old man from Essex has been sentenced to seven years in prison after attempting to offer his services to Russian intelligence agents, according to UK Defence Journal on November 10.
Howard Phillips, from the town of Harlow, was arrested in May 2024 following a sting operation by Counter Terrorism Policing London. Investigators said Phillips believed he was meeting with representatives of the Russian Intelligence Service—but the “agents” were in fact undercover police officers.
During a series of meetings and online communications, Phillips allegedly offered to provide personal information about a former UK cabinet minister, as well as logistical support for Russian intelligence operations.
A man who wanted to help Russia by leaking private information about the former Secretary of State for Defence has been jailed for seven years.
— Crown Prosecution Service (@CPSUK) November 7, 2025
Howard Phillips, 66, from Harlow in Essex was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court today.
Read more here: https://t.co/qUJ2m5vMsu pic.twitter.com/ExEfGQtcnN
Prosecutors told the court that when Phillips was detained in central London, he was carrying a USB drive containing details of the minister and handwritten notes outlining how he could assist Moscow’s spies.
He was convicted under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023 after a two-week trial at Winchester Crown Court and sentenced on November 6, 2025.
Investigators said Phillips had bragged to undercover officers that he could “move undetected and travel anywhere at any time, no questions asked.” He also claimed to have applied for a position at the UK Border Force and to be seeking Home Office security clearance.
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Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the case highlighted the harsh penalties awaiting anyone who attempts to work for a hostile power.
“This case demonstrates the serious consequences for anyone who thinks working on behalf of the Russian intelligence service is a way of earning easy money,” Murphy said. “Those convicted under the National Security Act can expect to receive lengthy prison sentences.”
The court heard that Phillips had previously met his local Member of Parliament, then serving as Secretary of State for Defence, and had even visited the minister’s home.
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Prosecutors said Phillips’s actions were motivated by greed rather than ideology. His conviction follows those of Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves, who were also prosecuted earlier this year under the same national-security legislation.
Murphy added that such individuals “are unlikely to receive a large cash windfall” but instead risk losing their freedom.
Earlier, Orlin Roussev, a 47-year-old Bulgarian national living in the UK, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit espionage.
The sentencing took place at a London court following an investigation into alleged surveillance activities linked to Russia.
