Two men jailed in UK for assisting Chinese intelligence

Two men have been jailed in the UK after being convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service in a case heard at the Old Bailey. Chi Leung "Peter" Wai, 40, was sentenced to 10 years, while Chung Biu "Bill" Yuen, 65, received an eight-year term. The court heard that Wai, a Border Force officer, used access to Home Office computer systems to track Hong Kong dissidents living in the UK.

Sponsored

The sentencing took place on Thursday, with the judge saying the men's actions "threaten the sovereignty of the state". Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office. The pair were found guilty after a trial last month, and the offences were brought under the National Security Act.

According to the court, Yuen, a former Hong Kong police officer who later worked at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, acted as Wai's contact with Chinese authorities. The case centred on surveillance of Hong Kongers who had fled pro-democracy crackdowns and were living in Britain. The court heard that Wai began working at Heathrow Airport in December 2020 after previously serving as a Metropolitan Police officer and later as a volunteer constable with City of London Police.

It also heard that special attention was paid to British politicians, including Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith. The proceedings showed how access to official systems and contacts inside public institutions were used to gather information on people seen as politically sensitive. The case is significant because it sits at the intersection of national security, immigration data and foreign intelligence activity.

Sponsored

It also comes against a backdrop of continuing concern in Britain about the targeting of Hong Kong activists abroad. In 2023, Hong Kong chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced bounties of HK$1m on some pro-democracy campaigners, a move that added to fears among exiled activists and their supporters. Wai's background was also set out in court.

He held both British and Hong Kong passports, had served in the Royal Navy for eight years and had worked in security roles, including for events in Chinatown. He also set up his own company, D5 Security. The court heard that he drew another Border Force officer, former Royal Marine Matthew Trickett, into the surveillance operation, and that Trickett later died in a suspected suicide after being caught by counter-terrorism police.

What remains unclear is the full extent of the information passed to Chinese contacts and how widely the surveillance network operated. An inquest into Trickett's death is due in November, which may add further detail to the wider investigation. For now, the sentencing marks a major conclusion to a case that has raised questions about insider access, political targeting and the protection of dissidents in the UK.

#Chineseintelligence #OldBailey #NationalSecurityAct #BorderForce #HongKongdissidents

Sponsored