Joshua Cammidge, from Swindon in Wiltshire, is accused of researching four drone manufacturing sites in the town and carrying out reconnaissance. He appeared at the Old Bailey via video-link from HMP Wandsworth, charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and intending to commit or engage in conduct to prepare an act of sabotage. Cammidge's trial is set to start in April 2027 at Winchester Crown Court.
According to prosecutors, Cammidge was in contact with a British national fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Aiden Minnis, in August and September. Minnis allegedly tasked Cammidge with locating drone manufacturing sites in the UK, and Cammidge sent coordinates of the sites to Minnis. The prosecution claims that Cammidge offered to conduct sabotage at the sites, which was intended to assist the Russian war effort.
Cammidge's defense team argues that there was no intention to assist or take part in sabotage, and that his communications with Minnis were "nothing more than a waste of time and are not to be taken seriously." The trial will hear more evidence and testimony from witnesses. Cammidge will next appear before the court in January for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
Cammidge was arrested by Counter Terrorism Policing London officers, supported by Wiltshire Police, at an address in Swindon on 4 September. He was detained under the National Security Act 2023, on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. When interviewed by police, he denied all the charges against him.
The charges against Cammidge state that between 27 March and 5 September, he allegedly provided a Google Maps screenshot showing a drone factory with a blue circle indicating a particular location, and provided two Google screenshots showing the addresses of four drone manufacturing sites in Swindon. He is also accused of conducting research about a WiFi jamming device and carrying out reconnaissance.
The Crown Prosecution Service believes that the representative Cammidge was in contact with was from the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia's intelligence services. The UK government formally designated the GRU Volunteer Corps under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026, making it a criminal offence to express support for the group.
A three-week trial has been scheduled to start in April 2027, and Cammidge's case will be heard at Winchester Crown Court. The prosecution will present its case, and Cammidge's defense team will have the opportunity to present their arguments.
Key points
- Joshua Cammidge, 31, denies planning to sabotage drone factories on behalf of Russia's intelligence services.
- Cammidge allegedly researched four drone manufacturing sites in Swindon and offered to conduct sabotage at the sites.
- The trial is set to start in April 2027 at Winchester Crown Court.
