A court in Britain, on Thursday, ordered the imprisonment of two men for illegally gathering information for Hong Kong and Chinese authorities in violation of the National Security Act.

The Metropolitan Police, in a statement on Thursday, stated that the defendants, 41-year-old Chi Leung Wai and 66-year-old Chung Biu Yuen, were sentenced following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing.

The statement read, “Two men have been jailed for National Security Act offences after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing found they were illegally gathering information for the benefit of Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.

“This was disrupted when police arrested a group of people who were carrying out activity targeting a woman based in Pontefract, who was being accused by her former employer in Hong Kong of fraud.

“Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 41, (17.06.1985) of Staines-upon-Thames, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 18 June, to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment. Chung Biu Yuen, 66, (02.06.1960) of Hackney was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.”

“Wai and Yuen were both found guilty on 7 May of assisting a foreign intelligence service, which is an offence under the National Security Act (NSA), 2023. The jury could not reach a verdict on charges against both men of foreign interference – also under the NSA, 2023.

Mr Wai was also found guilty of misconduct in public office, relating to the misuse of Home Office systems he accessed while working as an officer in Border Force. Mr Wai was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for the NSA offences and four years, to be served consecutively, for the misconduct in public office offence.”

According to the police, officers on May 1, 2024, apprehended nine people at a flat in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, for breaking into the property of a woman who moved to the UK from Hong Kong in 2023.

Her former employer in Hong Kong had accused her of fraud, which she denied and described as a set-up. A group of people, including her former boss, along with Mr Wai, one Matthew Trickett, and two former Hong Kong police officers, travelled to the flat the day before to try to locate the woman.

“They attempted to get her to open the door by pretending to be maintenance workers, and even poured water underneath her door, stating that she needed to let them in because of a water leak.

“After there was no response, the group decided to force entry into the flat themselves. However, shortly after entering the property, Counter Terrorism Police officers — who were carrying out their own investigation into the group — arrived and they were arrested. Yuen, who had been keeping in contact with the group from London, was also arrested, and Wai, Yuen and Trickett were subsequently charged. The others were released while the investigation continued.

“The subsequent investigation centred around the analysis of messages between Wai, Yuen and Trickett, as well as some of the others who were arrested in Pontefract. Through forensic examination of their digital devices, detectives were able to piece together how Yuen, in his role as an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), was in contact with individuals linked to the Hong Kong authorities. Yuen was then tasked with spying and surveillance activities focusing on UK-based pro-democracy campaigners.”

The police also stated that detectives found evidence that Mr Wai had been exploiting his position as a Border Force officer to find several examples of where he accessed the files of Chinese and Hong Kong nationals in the UK.

“Although Wai claimed he was simply carrying out legitimate private security work linked to some of these individuals, evidence from Trickett’s phone showed there was a clear awareness by Wai and Trickett of the significance of the people they were targeting and the links back to the Hong Kong authorities. Messages on Trickett’s phone also showed that Yuen was making payments to the pair, despite Yuen claiming that he was not involved in what they were doing.

“Detectives found evidence showing how requests from Hong Kong were coming into Yuen and were then being onward-tasked to Wai and Trickett to carry out. This included a request from Hong Kong to Yuen for information about a specific individual. The same person’s details were then passed from Yuen to Wai, and officers found evidence of Wai carrying out illicit checks on Home Office systems for that same person.”

Following authorisation from the CPS, Mr Yuen, Mr Wai and Mr Trickett were all charged on May 12, 2024. However, after being released on bail, Mr Trickett was found deceased in a park in Maidenhead on May 19, 2024, and an inquest into Mr Trickett’s death is expected after the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.

The head of CTP London, Commander Helen Flanagan, who led the investigation, stated that the defendants were targeting pro-democracy campaigners in the UK and sending highly sensitive details about them and their families to the Hong Kong authorities.

“Our investigation, along with the convictions and sentences, shows how seriously this kind of activity is taken in the UK and that it will not be tolerated. It should also serve as a warning to anyone else who might consider doing similar that it is simply not worth it and that when you are caught, you will likely face a lengthy prison sentence.

“I also hope this outcome reassures those living in the UK who may be concerned about being targeted by any foreign state, that we will take action to stop this from happening and that we will do everything we can to help keep them safe.”