Former Royal Marine and Border Force Officer Accused of Spying for China in UK
A former Royal Marine and a UK Border Force officer have been accused of spying on Hong Kong dissidents in the United Kingdom as part of "shadow policing operations" directed by China, according to testimony at the Old Bailey. The court heard that retired Hong Kong police superintendent Chung Biu (Bill) Yuen, 65, allegedly supervised Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, and Matthew Trickett while working for the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in Britain.
Alleged Surveillance and Intelligence Gathering
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC stated that Yuen and Wai engaged in "special hostile activity", including information gathering, hostile surveillance, and acts of deception targeting members of the Hong Kong diaspora now residing in the UK. The jury was informed that Hong Kong authorities instructed the defendants to collect intelligence on exiles who were subject to £100,000 bounties due to their alleged connections to pro-democracy protests, such as activist Nathan Law.
Wai, who served in the UK Border Force from December 2020 and was a special constable with the City of London Police, along with ex-Marine Trickett, an immigration enforcement officer, both had access to Home Office databases. The pair allegedly researched dissidents, referred to as "cockroaches", to obtain details about their vehicles, addresses, and social media accounts.
Targeting Political Figures and Activists
Mr. Atkinson revealed that Yuen tasked Wai with conducting surveillance and photographing Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, as well as British MPs and political figures attending events in the UK. In August 2023, Yuen was allegedly provided with a list of prominent political figures, including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
Jurors were shown surveillance footage of Nathan Law taken outside the Oxford Union in November 2023, in an operation that the prosecutor said was "facilitated by Trickett at the behest of Wai and for the benefit of Hong Kong."
"Ghost Operation" and Attempted Entry
The court heard that Yuen and Wai assembled a team to gain access to the Pontefract flat of Monica Kwong, who left Hong Kong in December 2023 after being accused of fraud, which she denies. They conducted surveillance "as if it was a legitimate UK police operation" and then attempted to deceive their way inside by posing as electricians and pouring water under the front door to simulate a flood.
Mr. Atkinson explained that they discussed setting off a fire alarm before deciding to force entry into the flat in what was described as a "ghost operation" on behalf of Hong Kong police, until UK police intervened. Trickett, who also worked as a private investigator, played a key role in information gathering and was among those who went to Ms. Kwong's flat with the intention of apprehending her.
Charges and Trial Details
Wai, from Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, and Yuen, from Hackney in east London, are charged with breaching the National Security Act by assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service. Both defendants, who hold dual Chinese and British citizenship, deny the following allegations:
- Assisting a foreign intelligence service between 20 December 2023 and 2 May 2024 by agreeing to undertake information gathering, surveillance, and acts of deception.
- Foreign interference on 1 May 2024 by forcing entry into a UK residential address.
Wai additionally denies a charge of misconduct in a public office for conducting unjustified searches of Home Office databases while serving as a UK Border Force officer between 16 September 2022 and 2 May 2024. Matthew Trickett is not standing trial due to his death in May 2024.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson emphasized that Yuen and Wai "engaged in shadow policing operations on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and thereby, the People's Republic of China," acting without any legal entitlement in the UK. The trial is expected to last up to nine weeks and continues at the Old Bailey.
