A royal navy submariner was caught trying to sell secrets to Russia in a sting operation led by British security services.
Edward Devenney (30) pleaded guilty yesterday to collecting secret coding programmes used by the British and attempting to pass the classified information on to Moscow. Devenney, originally from Northern Ireland, was a submariner on HMS Vigilant, a Trident nuclear submarine, when he decided to pass on secrets to the “enemy”, it is understood.
The submarine – one of four that make up the UK’s nuclear deterrent – is normally based at Faslane in Scotland but had been refuelling at Devonport dock in Plymouth when Devenney’s activities raised the suspicions of his senior officers.
Devenney’s motivation, it is believed, was unhappiness with his situation and a degree of anger towards his employers after being passed over for promotion, rather than an issue of ideology or money. – (Guardian service)