Prosecutors have dropped charges against two men who had been accused of spying for China, telling a London court they would offer no evidence and could not continue with the prosecution.
Christopher Cash, 30, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, 33, a teacher from Witney in Oxfordshire, had both denied charges under the Official Secrets Act that they gathered and provided information prejudicial to the safety and interests of the state between 28 December 2021 and 3 February 2023. The pair had been due to stand trial at the Old Bailey in October.
At a hearing on Monday, prosecutor Tom Little told the court his team would not proceed, saying, "we simply cannot continue to prosecute this case." The decision followed an investigation that began with arrests in March 2023 and involved counter‑terror police, according to court records.
Both men were arrested in March 2023 and charged with offences described as collecting information that was "calculated to be, might be, or were intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy." They had maintained their denials since being charged. Cash has been reported to have worked with Parliament's China Research Group and to have had access to several Conservative members of Parliament; Berry has been identified in court documents as a teacher living in Oxfordshire.
Chinese officials had previously dismissed the allegations, with Beijing calling them "malicious slander." UK authorities had treated the matter as a national security investigation, which prompted the involvement of specialist counter‑terror units in the early stages.
Prosecutors did not outline the specific reasons for discontinuing the case beyond their statement to the court that the Crown would offer no evidence. The decision means the men will not face trial on the charges that had been set for October.
The Official Secrets Act covers unauthorised disclosure of information that could harm the United Kingdom's security or interests. Cases under the act are relatively rare and can involve complex issues of classified material, intelligence sources and national security procedures, factors that can complicate preparation and presentation of evidence in court.
No further court dates were announced at the hearing, and police or prosecuting authorities did not immediately provide additional comment beyond the statement that the prosecution would not proceed. Legal representatives for Cash and Berry did not respond to requests for comment at the time of the hearing.