According to the prosecution, Wai exploited his privileged access to government information to track pro-democracy activists wanted by Hong Kong authorities. Among those surveilled were prominent opponents who had fled the territory after the imposition of the National Security Law by the regime of Xi Jinping.
Chi Leung Wai used his position in the border protection force to access data of Hong Kong citizens residing in the United Kingdom
For his part, Yuen, a former Hong Kong police officer, acted as a liaison between Wai and individuals linked to Chinese intelligence services. After leaving the Hong Kong security forces, he worked as an office manager at the Economic and Trade Office of Hong Kong in London.
The British justice system convicted two men on Thursday accused of conducting espionage activities in the United Kingdom for the benefit of the authorities of Hong Kong and China. The convicted, Chung Biu ''Bill'' Yuen and Chi Leung ''Peter'' Wai, were found guilty of surveilling prominent pro-democracy activists residing in British territory, in a case considered historic as it marks the first convictions for espionage linked to China under the country's new national security legislation.
The Old Bailey court in London imposed a ten-year prison sentence on Wai, 41 years old, while Yuen, 66 years old, was sentenced to eight years in prison. Both had been found guilty last month of collaborating with a foreign intelligence service through surveillance operations conducted between December 2023 and May 2024.
British authorities maintain that the two men participated in an organized campaign to gather information on citizens and activists from Hong Kong who sought refuge in the UK after the political crackdown driven by Beijing in the former British colony.
Two men were convicted in the United Kingdom for spying for Xi Jinping's regime, gathering information on Hong Kong activists
During the sentencing, Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb warned that the United Kingdom faces a growing threat of foreign interference from state actors operating covertly within its borders.
''Modern foreign intelligence activity is not limited to traditional espionage of military or governmental secrets,'' the magistrate stated. ''It can also take the form of surveillance, information gathering, intimidation, and persecution of dissenters and individuals who have sought the protection of the laws of this country.''
The judge who presided over the case stated that Britain is facing a growing problem of foreign interference within its borders
The investigation revealed that Wai used his position in the British Border Force to improperly access Home Office databases and obtain information about Hong Kong citizens residing in the UK. In addition to the conviction for collaborating with a foreign power, he was found guilty of misconduct in public office.
Before joining the Border Force in 2020, Wai had developed an extensive career in British security agencies. He was a member of the Royal Navy for eight years, worked as an officer in the Metropolitan Police of London between 2015 and 2019, and later served as a volunteer in the City of London Police.
During the trial, messages were revealed that evidenced Wai's closeness to former security officials from Hong Kong. In a communication sent to Eddie Ma, former head of intelligence of the Hong Kong police, Wai stated that he would not allow the entry of ''cockroaches'', a term used by pro-government sectors to refer to pro-democracy protesters.
The investigation also revealed that the accused paid special attention to British political figures critical of China and Hong Kong. Among them was Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, one of the most active parliamentarians in denouncing human rights abuses by Beijing.
Chung Biu Yuen acted as an intermediary between Wai and the Chinese intelligence services
Another notable aspect of the case was the involvement of Matthew Trickett, a former British marine and Border Force official who collaborated with Wai on some surveillance tasks. According to prosecutors, Trickett was sent to follow renowned activist Nathan Law during a public intervention at the Oxford Union in November 2023. Law was one of the individuals for whom the Hong Kong government had offered a reward of one million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to his capture.
Trickett was found dead in May 2024 in a case that authorities consider a ''suspected suicide.'' The investigation into his death will continue in a court hearing scheduled for November.
After the sentences were announced, the head of the British Crown Prosecution Service's Counter-Terrorism Division, Bethan David, stated that the conduct of the accused was ''deliberate and coordinated'', and assured that the case sends a clear message about the UK's determination to combat transnational repression and foreign interference.
Conservative MP Ian Duncan Smith was one of the public officials in the United Kingdom who were investigated by the services of Xi's regime
