Military Court Apprehend New Zealand Soldier Guilty Of Attempted Espionage

A military court found a New Zealand soldier guilty of attempted espionage for a foreign power on Monday — the first spying conviction in the country’s history.

The soldier was caught offering to pass military base maps and photographs to an undercover officer posing as an agent for a foreign nation, the court-martial heard.

The man’s name, the country he attempted to spy for and the name of the undercover officer who snared him were all suppressed by the court.

The serviceman wiped away tears as evidence was recounted against him, with close relatives present in court to give support.

His wife also wept, while his father repeatedly leaned forward, his head in his hands.

The soldier was the first person to be convicted of spying by a New Zealand court and only the second to be tried after a former public servant was acquitted of espionage in 1975.

He admitted to attempted espionage, accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose, and knowingly possessing an objectionable publication.

The man had copies of a livestreamed video of the March 2019 killing of 51 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant.

The soldier became a person of interest in the aftermath of the Christchurch attack as police cracked down on right-wing extremist groups, the court heard.

While monitoring him, the New Zealand government became aware he had “made contact with a third party, indicating that he was a soldier who wanted to defect”, according to an agreed summary read out by the prosecution.

An undercover officer then made contact with the would-be spy, claiming to be from that foreign nation.

The soldier said he could provide “mapping and photographs, and he could get a covert device into Army Headquarters”, the court heard.