A man from Harlow, Essex, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of attempting to spy for what he believed were agents of the Russian intelligence service. Howard Phillips, who had aspirations of emulating James Bond, was found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act. Phillips was accused of trying to provide personal information about former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps, as well as aiding in travel logistics and hotel bookings for two individuals he thought were Russian agents, named "Sasha" and "Dima". However, these individuals were actually undercover British intelligence officers. During the sentencing at Winchester Crown Court, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated, "You were prepared to betray your country for money. I sentence you on the basis you are not ideologically driven but motivated by money." She added that Phillips took a significant risk without regard for the potential damage his actions could cause. In a victim impact statement, Sir Grant Shapps expressed his shock upon learning of Phillips's activities and voiced concerns for his family's safety. He described Phillips's actions as a "complete breach of trust" and highlighted the serious risks posed to his family due to the sensitive information Phillips attempted to sell. Shapps recalled a dinner at Phillips's home in 2002, stating, "He chose to take whatever information he had and attempted to sell it to a foreign intelligence service thereby, wantonly, putting myself, my family and ultimately the country at risk." He emphasised the unacceptable nature of Phillips's reckless behaviour, which exposed his family to significant threats from foreign intelligence activities. The case underscores the ongoing challenges the UK faces in dealing with external threats and the alarming reality of individuals within communities attempting to engage with foreign intelligence services.