LONDON: A serving member of Britain’s Royal Navy appeared in court on Thursday accused of plotting to leak intelligence to a foreign power.

Teddy Young, 24, who joined the navy in April 2024, is alleged to have abused his high-level security clearance while deployed on a navy vessel, according to a written summary of the allegations presented to the court.

He allegedly accessed secret defence and intelligence data and plotted to pass on the information while on his first deployment which began seven months later in November 2024. The foreign power involved was allegedly Russia, according to UK media reports.

Young, who was remanded in custody, was not asked to enter a plea during the short hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London.

His next appearance will be at London’s Old Bailey court on Oct 16.

Young was arrested by counter-terror police at his home in Bedfordshire north of London on Tuesday.

London’s Metropolitan Police said earlier he had been charged with obtaining protected information in order to benefit a foreign power under section 1 of the National Security Act which covers principal espionage offences.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2026