Bulgarian woman in Russian spy ring is no George Blake, Old Bailey told

Katrin Ivanova's barrister says her sentence should reflect her admin duties and not equate her with classic spy cases'

A woman said to be chief minion" in a ring of Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia in Britain should not be treated like George Blake, the double agent sentenced to four decades in jail in the 1960s, the Old Bailey has heard.

Katrin Ivanova was said by her barrister, Rupert Bowers KC, to have been manipulated by her partner, Biser Dzhambazov, and to then have endured the discovery of his affair with a fellow member of the spy ring while in prison.