A serving member of the Royal Navy has been charged with spying for a foreign power under the UK's National Security Act, in one of the most serious espionage cases to hit the British armed forces in recent years. Teddy Young, 24, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday — his first court appearance — after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London.
The Metropolitan Police announced the charges on Thursday. Young faces two offences: allegedly obtaining protected information intending to benefit a foreign power, and preparing to disclose it. The police did not officially name the foreign power — though UK media understand it to be Russia.
File photo: a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer at sea. Young was a naval intelligence rating serving on a Navy vessel. (Image: UK Ministry of Defence, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
What Teddy Young is accused of
The charges cover a six-month period between November 2024 and May 2025. In that window, the Crown Prosecution Service told the court, Young "obtained, copied, recorded or retained protected information, intending the conduct to benefit a foreign power… contrary to section 1 of the National Security Act 2023."
He is also charged with "conduct in preparation for committing an offence of disclosing protected information," under section 18 of the same act. The allegation, as the CPS put it in a written summary read to the court, is that while serving as a Royal Navy warfare intelligence rating with high-level security clearance and intelligence-system access, Young "accessed and retained sensitive UK defence and intelligence material and engaged in activity consistent with preparing to pass protected information to a foreign power."
Prosecutors say Young tried to make contact with Russian authorities through the dark web, drafting a message in Russian that "sought to make contact with a potential threat actor." He is also accused of breaking Navy rules by copying information to a private email account.
Young, who is understood to be an able seaman — the most junior rank in the Navy — worked in the intelligence branch. He joined the Navy in April 2024, and the alleged offences began on his very first deployment, which started on November 4, 2024. He had passed the developed vetting process that gave him clearance to handle secret military material.
The arrest, the court, and what comes next
Young had been under investigation for around a year — he was first arrested in Hampshire last year and suspended from duty. Counter-terrorism police then rearrested him at his home in Bedfordshire on Tuesday this week, and he was charged on Wednesday.
Thursday's four-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court was his first appearance before a judge. Wearing a grey sweatshirt and joggers, he stood in the dock before District Judge Annabel Pilling and was not asked to enter any pleas. The judge told him the charges were "too serious to be dealt with at this court and need to be dealt with at a crown court."
The case was sent to the Old Bailey, where Young is due to appear on October 16. He was remanded in custody.
File photo: the entrance to Westminster Magistrates' Court, where Young made his first court appearance on Thursday. (Image: Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Police: "very serious charges" — and no link to RAF Fairford
"These are very serious charges against a serving member of the armed forces," said Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London. She said her officers had "worked extremely closely with relevant operational colleagues within the Ministry of Defence as our investigation has progressed to ensure appropriate measures could be taken to mitigate any potential risks linked to this matter."
Flanagan also urged restraint in coverage, saying "it is important now that any further speculation on this case is avoided so that the case can progress through the courts and the justice process not be impeded in any way."
The Met stressed that the case is not connected to the ongoing investigation into the incident at RAF Fairford last month — the US airbase in Gloucestershire where US officials have said there was a potential Iranian drone attack. A Royal Navy spokesman said: "A member of the Royal Navy has been charged with National Security Act offences following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London. As legal proceedings are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
The White Ensign, flown by Royal Navy ships. (Image: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Key Takeaways
- Royal Navy sailor Teddy Young, 24, has been charged under the National Security Act with obtaining protected information and preparing to pass it to a foreign power.
- The alleged offences ran from November 2024 to May 2025, during Young's first deployment as a naval intelligence rating with high-level security clearance.
- Prosecutors say he tried to contact Russian authorities via the dark web and copied material to a private email account. The foreign power has not been officially named.
- Young appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, entered no pleas, was remanded in custody, and will face the Old Bailey on October 16.
- Counter-terrorism police stressed the case is not linked to the RAF Fairford incident and asked the public to avoid speculation.
FAQs
Who is Teddy Young?
Teddy Young, 24, is an able seaman in the Royal Navy — the service's most junior rank — who worked in the naval intelligence branch. He joined the Navy in April 2024 and served as a warfare intelligence rating, a role that gave him high-level security clearance and access to intelligence systems. He had been suspended from duty for about a year while counter-terrorism police investigated him.
What is the National Security Act 2023?
The National Security Act 2023 is the UK's main counter-espionage law, replacing much of the century-old Official Secrets Acts. Section 1 covers obtaining, copying or retaining protected information to benefit a foreign power, and section 18 covers preparing to commit such an offence. Young is charged under both sections. The act carries heavy prison sentences for spying and sabotage offences.
Which foreign power was he allegedly spying for?
The police have not officially named the foreign power. However, UK media — including The Times and The Sun — report that the foreign power is understood to be Russia, and prosecutors say Young drafted a message in Russian seeking contact with a "potential threat actor" and tried to reach Russian authorities via the dark web. Nothing has been proven; these are allegations.
What happened at the Westminster court hearing?
Young appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday in a four-minute hearing before District Judge Annabel Pilling. He wore a grey sweatshirt and joggers and was not asked to enter any pleas. The judge sent the case to the Old Bailey — London's central criminal court — where Young will appear on October 16, and remanded him in custody.
Is this case linked to the RAF Fairford incident?
No. The Metropolitan Police explicitly said the charges are not connected to the recent investigation into an incident at RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, where US officials have said there was a potential Iranian drone attack. The two investigations are entirely separate.
Has Teddy Young been found guilty?
No. He has only been charged and has not entered any pleas. Under UK law, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the police have asked the public to avoid speculation so the case can progress through the courts without the justice process being impeded.
Why it matters
Espionage cases inside the armed forces are rare, and this one cuts deep: a serving sailor with high-level intelligence clearance allegedly tried to hand secrets to a hostile power just months into his first deployment. For the Royal Navy, it raises hard questions about vetting and insider risk. For the UK more broadly, it lands at a moment of heightened anxiety about foreign interference — alongside the RAF Fairford drone investigation and ongoing tensions with Russia — and it will test the National Security Act 2023 in one of its most high-profile cases yet.
What happens next
Young will appear at the Old Bailey on October 16, where he is expected to enter pleas. If the case goes to trial, it will be one of the first major National Security Act espionage prosecutions of a serving service member. Watch for the CPS to set out its full case — including what, if anything, was actually passed to a foreign power — and for any response from the Ministry of Defence on how the alleged breach was caught. Related: the UK kept its Jerusalem mission open this week amid a separate diplomatic storm. You can also follow Global Desk News for continuing coverage.
Sources
- Reuters — "UK police charge member of Royal Navy under National Security Act" (October 8, 2026)
- Al Jazeera — "UK police charge Royal Navy member accused of working with foreign power" (October 8, 2026)
- The Times — "Royal Navy sailor Teddy Young charged with spying for foreign power" (October 8, 2026)
- Oldham Times (PA) — "Navy sailor accused of plotting to leak intelligence to Russia appears in court" (October 8, 2026)
By GlobalDeskNews Staff