Able Seaman Teddy Young, 24, was remanded after Westminster Magistrates' Court heard National Security Act charges alleging he prepared to pass protected defence material to a foreign power.
Able Seaman Teddy Young, a 24-year-old Royal Navy warfare intelligence specialist, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday charged under the National Security Act. The Crown Prosecution Service alleged that, while he held high-level clearance, he accessed and retained sensitive defence material and prepared to disclose protected information to a foreign power.
The charges cover 26 November 2024 to 21 May 2025. The BBC reported that the allegations include translating a message into Russian and looking for a web portal that invited people to submit information to Russia. The Guardian reported that he is accused of drafting a message in Russian containing classified information. Those are prosecution allegations.
Young confirmed his name, date of birth and an address in Clapham, near Bedford, the BBC said. He was arrested at his home in Bedfordshire on Tuesday after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London. The Guardian said he had first been arrested in May last year and is the first member of the British armed forces charged under the 2023 Act.
He was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 16 October. No plea was reported in the BBC account of Thursday's short hearing.
The case is at the charging stage. Nothing in the court summary is a finding that material reached a foreign government.
People Sentiments Negative
- The Crown Prosecution Service alleged Young prepared to disclose protected information to a foreign power.
- Young spoke in court only to confirm his name, date of birth and address, the BBC reported.