Former Border Force Officer and Associate Convicted
Chi Leung "Peter" Wai, 40, and Chung Biu "Bill" Yuen, 65, have been sentenced to 10 and eight years in prison, respectively, after being found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service. The convictions followed a trial at the Old Bailey, where the judge emphasized that their actions posed a threat to state sovereignty.
"Threaten the sovereignty of the state" - Judge's remarks during sentencing.
Wai, a former Border Force officer, utilized his access to Home Office computer systems to monitor Hong Kong dissidents residing in the UK. He was also convicted of misconduct in public office due to this misuse of his position. Yuen, a former Hong Kong police officer who later managed the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, served as Wai's link to Chinese authorities.
Details of Their Operations
Wai, who previously served with the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Navy, began working at Heathrow Airport as a Border Force officer in December 2020. He leveraged his access to extensive databases to track Hong Kong nationals who had sought refuge in the UK following pro-democracy crackdowns. Communications presented in court included a message from Wai to a former chief superintendent of Hong Kong Police's Criminal Intelligence Bureau, stating, "Will not let any cockroaches in."
The court also heard that British politicians, including Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, were subjects of "special attention" by the duo. Wai, holding both British and Hong Kong passports, had a varied career history, including security work in London's Chinatown and establishing his own security firm.
Connection to Another Individual and Official Response
Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Wai involved another Border Force officer, Matthew Trickett, in the surveillance of Hong Kong dissidents. Trickett was found deceased in a suspected suicide shortly after their apprehension by counter-terrorism police. His inquest is scheduled for November.
One instance highlighted involved Wai tasking Trickett in November 2023 to arrange surveillance on high-profile Hong Kong activist Nathan Law, who had a HK$1 million (approximately £100,000) bounty on his head from Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, when Law was speaking at the Oxford Union student society.
Bethan David, Head of the Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, commented on the case, stating that Wai and Yuen's conduct was "deliberate, coordinated and carried out with full knowledge of who it would benefit." She added, "These convictions send a clear message that transnational repression, foreign interference, unauthorised surveillance, and attempts to operate outside the law will not be tolerated on British soil."
A jury was unable to reach a verdict on an additional charge against both men concerning foreign interference, specifically forcing entry into the West Yorkshire home of an alleged fraud suspect originally from Hong Kong.