Teddy Young: the 24-Year-Old Sailor Accused of Plotting to Leak Navy Secrets to Russia

Photo: UK Ministry of Defence via Wikimedia Commons (OGL v1.0) — file photo (illustrative)

I'll be honest: when the first reports landed about a serving sailor charged under the National Security Act, I assumed the details would surface within days. Instead the story has unspooled slowly since 6 October — and Friday's Old Bailey appearance added the heaviest charges yet. Teddy Young, a 24-year-old Able Seaman, the most junior rank in the Navy, now faces five offences. And he is the first member of the UK armed forces ever charged under the 2023 Act: brand-new legislation tested on exactly the threat it was built for.

Who is Teddy Young, the Royal Navy sailor accused of spying for Russia?

Young served as a Royal Navy warfare intelligence rating — high-level security clearance, access to intelligence systems. The Crown Prosecution Service names him as Teddy Stanley Greenidge Young: he joined the Navy in April 2024 and allegedly committed the offences on his very first deployment, which began on 4 November 2024.

Counter-terror police arrested him at his Bedfordshire home on Tuesday 6 October; Westminster Magistrates' Court remanded him in custody two days later, and he has been held at Belmarsh prison since. On Friday he appeared at the Old Bailey by video link, spoke only to confirm his identity, and entered no pleas.

What is Teddy Young charged with under the National Security Act?

The charge sheet has grown. Prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst told the Old Bailey that Young allegedly "obtained, copied, recorded or retained protected information" between November 2024 and May 2025 to benefit a foreign power. A second count covers allegedly preparing to disclose protected information — knowing, prosecutors say, it was prejudicial to UK safety.

Then came Friday's new charges. Sky News reported Young has also been charged with misconduct in public office: allegedly sending classified information to a personal email address via WhatsApp and Discord, and retaining classified material on personal devices. He also faces two counts of failing to comply with a notice under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act — alleged failures to disclose information about a USB stick and an SD memory card.

Royal Navy spy case: what prosecutors say about Russia

This is the detail that has sent the story viral. Prosecutor Brocklehurst said the evidence indicated Young accessed and without authority retained "sensitive information" about intelligence, and was communicating with a "third party overseas" — allegedly intending to share it with a foreign power. "The website that he appears to have taken a particular interest in is the foreign intelligence service of Russia, the SVR," she told the court.

The BBC has previously reported the allegations include Young translating a message into Russian and searching for an online portal to submit information to Russia. Important caveat: the Met's own charging notice names only an unnamed "foreign power". Nothing is proven; he retains the presumption of innocence.

Why was Teddy Young suspended months ago?

Sky News understands Young was previously arrested in Hampshire in May 2025 — his security clearance suspended immediately, and he was removed from duties. So the Navy knew it had a problem all the way back in spring, while the alleged offences were still within their window.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, called the charges "very serious" for a serving member of the armed forces, saying police had worked closely with the Ministry of Defence "to mitigate any potential risks". A Royal Navy spokesperson told the BBC it would be inappropriate to comment while proceedings are ongoing.

When is the Teddy Young trial at the Old Bailey?

Police stress the charges are not connected to the recent RAF Fairford incident — the Gloucestershire airbase from which US bombers struck Iran before being withdrawn. A separate, live investigation.

His trial is provisionally listed for October 2027 — a full year away. That lead time is normal for national security cases, built on intercepted material and classified intelligence. Expect a careful, largely closed courtroom process before we learn what really happened on that first deployment.

For now, the allegations paint a troubling picture: a junior sailor handed the keys to intelligence systems months after joining up, allegedly taking secrets home on a USB stick and a memory card. Whether prosecutors can prove he intended to pass them to Russia is what will decide everything.

Sources

• Reuters — UK Royal Navy sailor appears in court charged under National Security Act
• Sky News (via Classic FM) — New charges for Royal Navy sailor accused of plotting to leak secrets to Russia
• Bedford Independent — Royal Navy sailor from Bedfordshire charged with spying
• The Local Report (AP) — Royal Navy sailor charged under UK National Security Act of spying for Russia