A retired Hong Kong police officer and a UK Border Force official are on trial at the Old Bailey in London for allegedly engaging in 'shadow policing' operations on behalf of China. Chung Biu "Bill" Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung "Peter" Wai, 38, both hold British passports and are accused of targeting Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners claiming asylum in the UK.
Key Takeaways
A retired Hong Kong police officer and a UK Border Force official are standing trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly conducting 'shadow policing' operations targeting Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners in the UK. The defendants deny charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service and misconduct in public office.
- Retired Hong Kong police officer Chung Biu Yuen and UK Border Force official Chi Leung Wai on trial at Old Bailey
- Accused of 'shadow policing' operations targeting Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners in the UK
- Both defendants deny charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service and misconduct in public office
- Allegations include misuse of Home Office databases and surveillance activities
- Trial expected to last six or seven weeks
The men are charged with offenses under the National Security Act. Yuen was a former Hong Kong police officer working for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, while Wai worked for the UK Border Force and volunteered as a Special Constable with the City of London Police. They allegedly collaborated with Matthew Trickett, a former British Royal Marine and UK Border Force officer who died in May 2024.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC stated that Wai misused Home Office and police computer systems to conduct searches for personal gain. This included gathering information about Hong Kong asylum seekers, with Wai allegedly receiving £2,000 a month according to the prosecution. The prosecution described 'shadow policing' as the gathering of information and surveillance on individuals of interest to the Hong Kong authorities without legal entitlement.
Atkinson mentioned that these activities coincided with efforts by the Hong Kong authorities to extend their reach beyond their jurisdiction, including placing bounties of approximately £100,000 for information leading to the capture of targeted individuals. Among those allegedly targeted was Monica Kwong, who denied accusations of fraud. The prosecution claimed that Yuen and Wai conducted surveillance on her address as if they were a legitimate UK police operation.
Wai is also accused of misusing police computer systems dating back to 2018 and posting information about Hong Kong protestors in a WhatsApp group linked to China. The prosecution alleges that Wai was in contact with Eddie Ma, a former Chief Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police, who referred to dissidents as 'cockroaches'. Yuen and Wai both deny charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service and foreign interference.
Wai also denies misconduct in public office related to conducting unauthorized searches on Home Office databases. The court heard how a private security company run by Wai was used as the vehicle for these searches. In one case, the pair allegedly forced their way into a woman's house after trying to trick their way into the property in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, by posing as electricians and pouring water under the front door to pretend there was a flood.
When UK police intervened and arrested Wai at the property, they found a fake warrant card identifying him as a police superintendent. The defendants are said to have been part of 'determined measures' by the Hong Kong Government and police to 'reach beyond their jurisdiction' to target dissidents of the regime.
According to BBC, Yuen was the link between Wai and the authorities in China. The two defendants met at a restaurant in Chinatown in London. Wai had been a Metropolitan Police officer between 2015 and 2019 before joining UK Border Force in 2020.
Wai knew Trickett as they had both worked as Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport, though Trickett later moved into Immigration Enforcement. At the end of April 2024, Wai and Trickett were in Pontefract where a woman called Monica Kwong lived with her school-age son.
The prosecution says that they wanted to check that she lived there and had arranged for her to be filmed answering the door to a parcel delivery. In the video she can be seen wearing pink pyjamas with her son behind her. A Chinese-Australian woman called Tina Zou claimed that Kwong owed her money.
Zou flew in to the UK from China on 28 April, and joined two former Hong Kong police officers who had also flown in. They all travelled up to Pontefract. Trickett was already in Pontefract with Wai. Zou was there when Trickett knocked on Kwong's door on 30 April.
He got no reply. One of the group recorded the moment on video. The prosecution said that the next day, they returned to the flat. At first, Trickett poured water under the door and then knocked, saying that there was a "leak" and he was "Dave from maintenance". Again there was no reply.
Later that evening, an audio eavesdropping device placed in the flat by UK law enforcement recorded some bangs and muffled sounds which the prosecution says was the moment the group forced entry to the flat. The jury heard that shortly afterwards, British police officers arrested eleven people in the flat or nearby.
The trial is expected to last six or seven weeks.
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