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The Director of Public prosecutions says the Chinese spy trial collapsed because the government did not provide enough evidence China is a threat to national security.
The CPS tried for “many months” to obtain more evidence from Whitehall but it was “not forthcoming”.
The Director of Public prosecutions says the Chinese spy trial collapsed because the government did not provide enough evidence China is a threat to national security.
The CPS tried for “many months” to obtain more evidence from Whitehall but it was “not forthcoming”.
In a letter to the Home and Justice Committees, Stephen Parkinson confirms @Telegraph reporting that the Cash and Berry case collapsed because the Government refused to provide evidence to establish China was an "enemy", which is required under the Official Secrets Act 1911.
Parkinson said that while the CPS believed it had enough evidence to charge Mr Cash and Mr Berry in April 2024, his team was later required to collect more evidence because of new case law established in a High Court ruling on a Russian spy ring the following month.
Parkinson: “Efforts to obtain that evidence were made over many months, but notwithstanding the fact that further witness statements were provided, none of these stated that at the time of the offence China represented a threat to national security.
“By late August 2025 it was realised that this evidence would not be forthcoming. When this became apparent, the case could not proceed.”
Parkinson says he has taken the extraordinary and highly unusual step of going public on details of the case because “government briefings have been provided commenting on the evidential situation”.
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