London -
A British spy has appeared in court to deny charges of sexually assaulting and beating a colleague at the MI5 intelligence service.
Neither the defendant nor the accuser is being identified because of security restrictions. The 28-year-old agent will be tried under a pseudonym, Mark Barton, while his alleged victim has been identified as 2363.
The defendant will be hidden from the public by a screen but will be visible to the judge and jury. Witnesses will be identified by their work ID numbers or first names.
At a court appearance Monday, “Barton” denied two charges of assault, one of sexual assault and one of putting a person in fear of violence and harassment.
The agent, who is free on bail, is due to go on trial in June. - Sapa-AP