londonReuters —
On Thursday, two men, including a British immigration officer, were found guilty in a London court of spying for targeting prominent pro-democracy dissidents now based in Britain on behalf of Hong Kong and ultimately China.
Trong Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, and Chee Leung “Peter” Wai, 40, who served with the UK Border Force, were found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service by carrying out surveillance of targets between December 2023 and May 2024.
The men, who have dual Chinese and British nationality, deny the charges, but the Chinese embassy in London accused Britain of fabricating the charges against them.
According to local media, they are believed to be the first people in Britain to be convicted of spying for China. Mr Wai and Mr Yuen will be sentenced at a later date and face up to 14 years in prison.
A jury at London’s Old Bailey was unable to reach a verdict on a separate charge of “foreign interference” for forcibly entering the home of a woman accused of fraud in the northern English city on behalf of Hong Kong authorities.
Relations between the UK and China have been strained since a 2019 national security crackdown on a sometimes violent pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which was under British rule for 156 years before returning to Chinese sovereignty nearly 30 years ago.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China in January, but repeated accusations of espionage proved to be a hurdle in attempts to improve relations between the two countries.
Following Thursday’s conviction, Security Secretary Dan Jarvis said Britain would continue to hold China accountable and challenge China on any actions that put the safety of British people at risk.
Mr Jarvis added that the Chinese ambassador “will be called to make it clear that this type of activity has never been, and will continue to be, unacceptable on mainland Britain.”
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson told jurors that Mr Yuen and Mr Wai were tasked with carrying out “shadow policing” for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and ultimately for China.
Mr Yuen is a former Hong Kong police officer who worked at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London, while Mr Wai worked at the Immigration Department and was also a volunteer police officer with the City of London Police.
Mr Wai was found guilty of abusing his Border Force duties to search the Home Office’s computer database and access details of foreign nationals.
Atkinson said the men’s operations included spying on British dissidents, including activist Nathan Law, and that the Hong Kong government had offered them HK$1 million (about $127,700) for information leading to their whereabouts and arrests.
Messages between Yuen, Wai and others show they discuss plans to target activists known as “cockroaches” and monitor British politicians.
“Hong Kong people in the British diaspora have lived in fear for years,” Finn Lau, one of the targeted activists, said in a statement. “Today’s guilty verdict confirms that the fear was not paranoia. It was real.”
A third man, who was charged with the same crime as Yuen and Wai, was found dead shortly after the three were charged. Matthew Trickett, 37, a former Royal Marine, worked as an immigration officer and private investigator. His death was not considered suspicious.
Last November, Britain’s MI5 security service warned MPs that Chinese agents were gathering intelligence and trying to influence operations at Westminster.
On the day Yuen and Wai’s trial began in March, British police announced they had arrested three men, including the partner of a sitting MP, on suspicion of aiding China’s foreign intelligence services.
Critics have accused Starmer of prioritizing economic ties over security risks after Britain approved China’s plans to build Europe’s largest embassy in Beijing in January, but British security officials say those risks can be mitigated.
