Two men, including one who worked as a British immigration officer, were jailed on June 18 after being convicted of spying on prominent pro-democracy dissidents now based in Britain on behalf of Hong Kong, and ultimately China. Chung Biu 'Bill' Yuen, 66, and Chi Leung 'Peter' Wai, 41, who worked for the UK Border Force, were convicted in May of assisting a foreign intelligence service by carrying out surveillance on targets between December 2023 and May 2024. They are believed to be the first people to have been convicted of spying for China in Britain.
Wai was also convicted of misusing his Border Force job to search the Interior Ministry's computer database for details about targets. The men, both dual Chinese and British nationals, denied the accusations. Wai was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Yuen was jailed for eight years.
A 'Deliberate, Concerted and Serious' Operation
Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, sentencing the pair at London's Old Bailey court, described their conduct as 'deliberate, concerted and serious,' involving 'shadow policing operations.' She said their actions 'threaten the sovereignty of the state' and caused 'real and substantial' harm, leaving targeted individuals in fear and distress.
'Modern foreign intelligence activity is not confined to orthodox espionage against military or governmental secrets,' Judge Cheema-Grubb said. 'It may take the form of surveillance, information gathering, intimidation, and targeting of dissidents and those who have sought the protection of this country's laws.'
The Targets: Hong Kong Dissidents in Britain
The court heard that the pair targeted Hong Kong dissidents and pro-democracy protesters living in Britain, with 'special attention' also paid to politicians, including Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the opposition Conservative Party who has been critical of Beijing. Among the targets was Nathan Law Kwun-chung, a prominent Hong Kong democracy activist and one of 19 wanted fugitives with bounties placed on them by Hong Kong police.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, said: 'The activity of Wai and Yuen was truly chilling. They were spying and targeting individuals in the UK who were pro-democracy campaigners and were simply protesting against the Hong Kong and Chinese government and authorities.'
How the Operation Worked
Prosecutors said Yuen, a retired Hong Kong police superintendent who worked as a manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, received surveillance requests from Hong Kong authorities and passed them to Wai. Yuen paid Wai and a third suspect for carrying out these tasks. Wai, a security firm operator and former part-time UK Border Force officer, used his position to obtain personal information on Hong Kong activists from official computer systems.
The men were arrested two years ago along with a third suspect, former Royal Marine and Border Force officer Matthew Trickett, who was found dead 18 days after being released on bail.
Reactions from Beijing and Hong Kong
The Chinese embassy in London condemned the sentencing, calling the case 'nothing but a political move of abusing the law' and 'the result of the British side's abuse of the law and manipulation of judicial proceedings.' Beijing's foreign ministry urged the UK to 'cease political manipulation against China' and 'rectify its erroneous actions.'
The Hong Kong government also condemned the convictions, describing them as involving 'unfounded allegations and smearing,' and implied it would assist Yuen in any possible appeal.
UK Security Minister Angela Eagle said the government 'will continue to hold China accountable and take action against any conduct that endangers the safety of our people.' The case has further strained UK-China relations, which have been repeatedly tested by espionage allegations in recent years.
