Two Men Jailed for Assisting Chinese Intelligence and Tracking Hong Kong Dissidents in UK
Two individuals have been incarcerated for their collaboration with Chinese intelligence in the United Kingdom. Chi Leung "Peter" Wai, 40, a former Border Force officer, received a 10-year sentence. Chung Biu "Bill" Yuen, 65, was given an eight-year term. Both were convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act.
Wai, who exploited his access to the Home Office computer system to monitor Hong Kong dissidents residing in the UK, was also found guilty of misconduct in public office.
During sentencing at the Old Bailey, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated that their actions "threaten the sovereignty of the state." Detectives characterised the men's involvement as a "shadow policing operation" conducted for Hong Kong authorities and, by extension, the Chinese state. This case underscores the persistent issue of foreign interference and the capacity of allied regimes to conduct surveillance on individuals within Britain.
Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, emphasised that such activities will not be tolerated, stating, "if you are working on behalf of a foreign state, that we in counter-terrorism policing and with our partners will identify who you are and bring the full force of the National Security Act upon you."
Wai, a former Metropolitan Police officer and Royal Navy serviceman, began working for Border Force at Heathrow Airport in December 2020. He utilised his position to trace Hong Kongers who had sought refuge in the UK following pro-democracy crackdowns, relaying this information to his Chinese contacts. Yuen, a former Hong Kong police officer and office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, served as Wai's intermediary with Chinese authorities. Court proceedings revealed that "special attention" was also paid to British politicians, including Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
The court heard that Wai also involved a fellow Border Force officer, Matthew Trickett, in his surveillance operations. Trickett was later found dead in a suspected suicide; his inquest is scheduled for November.
The convictions, according to Bethan David, Head of the Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, deliver a clear message that "transnational repression, foreign interference, unauthorised surveillance, and attempts to operate outside the law will not be tolerated on British soil."
