David Ballantyne Smith

David Ballantyne Smith is a British former security guard who was convicted of espionage on behalf of Russia.

Early life

David Ballantyne Smith was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Smith enlisted in the Royal Air Force in 1985 and served for 12 years which included a posting to the former Fighter Command headquarters at Bentley Priory. After leaving the RAF, he moved to Crawley, West Sussex and took a job as a flight auditor at Gatwick Airport, before leaving to work as a flight attendant, a position he kept until 2002.

Smith pleaded guilty to eight offences under the Official Secrets Act on 4 November 2022. He was sentenced to 13 years and two months' imprisonment.
Following Smith's convictions, the Foreign Office carried out a security review of every member of embassy staff at a cost of.