Two men have become the first people to be convicted of spying for China in Britain, according to multiple reports from The Guardian, BBC, and Reuters. Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, a UK Border Force officer, and Chung Biu Yuen, a Hong Kong trade official based in London, were found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service at the Old Bailey. The convictions mark a significant milestone in British legal history.
Key Takeaways
Two men became the first people convicted of spying for China in Britain after being found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service and surveilling Hong Kong dissidents.
- Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, a UK Border Force officer, and Chung Biu Yuen, a Hong Kong trade official, were convicted at the Old Bailey.
- The men targeted prominent pro-democracy activists like Nathan Law in London.
- A third accused man was found dead after being charged with similar offenses.
Wai, 40, used his access to the Home Office computer system to track Hong Kong dissidents based in the UK through the main immigration database according to BBC. Yuen, 65, served as Wai's contact with Chinese authorities. The pair were found guilty under the National Security Act of assisting a foreign intelligence service and conducting surveillance on targets between December 2023 and May 2024.
The court heard that the men targeted prominent pro-democracy activists like Nathan Law, who had led student protest movements in Hong Kong. According to Reuters, the Chinese embassy in London has accused Britain of fabricating the allegations against Wai and Yuen. The defendants were remanded into custody to be sentenced on a date to be fixed later.
The trial also revealed that a third man, Matthew Trickett, 37, was found dead after being charged with similar offenses. According to BBC, Trickett had worked as an immigration officer and private investigator, and his death was not considered suspicious. The jury could not agree on a charge against both men of foreign interference by forcing entry into the home of an alleged fraud suspect originally from Hong Kong in West Yorkshire.
The convictions have sparked reactions from British officials. Security Minister Dan Jarvis stated that the activities carried out by these men were “an infringement of our sovereignty and will never be tolerated.” He added that Britain would continue to hold China accountable for actions that put the safety of people in the country at risk according to The Guardian. The Chinese ambassador was summoned to make it clear that such activity was, and will always be, unacceptable on UK soil.
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