Army interpreter guilty of spying

Daniel James, who had access to the highest echelons of the Nato mission in Kabul, was caught red-handed betraying his country in a series of coded emails.

The Iranian-born corporal, a flamboyant fantasist who styled himself "General James", believed he had been denied promotion because of racism and jealousy, the Old Bailey heard.

He told one colleague: "They will have their comeuppance."

James also needed money. He was £25,000 in debt and had four mortgages on flats in Brighton - although he later claimed he would not give away secrets for a million pounds.

But his treachery could have cost the lives of British soldiers, the court heard.

Prosecutor Mark Dennis QC said it was "the height of betrayal".

James, a Territorial Army soldier who moved to Britain as a teenager and became a salsa dance instructor and club owner, was found guilty of one count under the Official Secrets Act. The charge related to sending emails to his Iranian contact.

Jurors were still deliberating on a second charge under the Act relating to a USB memory stick containing secret documents that was found in his possession, as well as a third count of misconduct in public office.

Judge Mr Justice Roderick Evans told the jury he would accept majority verdicts on the outstanding charges.