Overview
- Winchester Crown Court sentenced Howard Phillips, of Harlow, Essex, after a jury found him guilty in July of engaging in conduct to assist a foreign intelligence service under the 2023 National Security Act.
- Prosecutors said he gave undercover officers a USB containing Grant Shapps’ home address and private plane location, having hidden the device in a bicycle seat shaft during a prearranged drop.
- Meetings at a London Bridge hotel and a Costa in West Thurrock captured him offering logistical help and seeking payment, while the judge ruled he was motivated by money rather than ideology.
- Counter Terrorism Command arrested him in central London on 16 May 2024, the CPS charged him on 23 May, and the operation prevented any material assistance from being delivered.
- Police and prosecutors said the case underscores active enforcement of the National Security Act, as Shapps reported shock and concern for his family in a statement to the court.