Jury retires in case of Essex man accused of trying to spy for Russia
The man is alleged to have offered personal information about former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps
The jury in a trial of an Essex man accused of trying to spy for Russia have begun considering their verdict.
Howard Phillips, 65, from Harlow, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act.
It is alleged that Phillips intended to assist people he believed to be Russian agents called "Sasha" and "Dima" - offering personal information about former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps.
Jurors previously heard "Dima" and "Sasha" were in fact undercover British intelligence officers.
Giving evidence yesterday, his ex-wife Amanda Phillips told the court that he "would dream about being like James Bond" and once wrote to Arsenal saying he wanted to become manager of the club despite having "no qualifications".
She also told the jury her ex-husband was a "kind, caring man, a good friend, a good dad".
"Not a great husband," she said.
"But he has got a good soul. He is also a daydreamer, big time, pipe dreams, big time."
Phillips denies one count of engaging in conduct to assist the Russian intelligence service, in breach of the National Security Act.