Two men have made history as the first individuals in Britain to be convicted of spying for China. Chi Leung Wai, a UK Border Force officer, and Chung Biu Yuen, a Hong Kong trade official based in London, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of assisting a foreign intelligence service. The verdicts were delivered by majority after a nine-week trial.
Details of the Case
Wai, 38, who worked at Heathrow Airport and served as a special constable for the City of London police, was also convicted of misconduct in public office for unauthorized searches of Home Office databases. Yuen, 65, a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in London, was accused of directing Wai to surveil dissidents. Both men, who hold dual Chinese and British nationality, denied the charges. Sentencing by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb will occur at a later date.
Surveillance and Targets
The court heard that Wai gathered intelligence on Yuen's orders, targeting exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, including Nathan Law, who led the student protest movement. Law was the subject of multiple spying operations and had a £100,000 bounty placed on him by Chinese authorities. Wai also sought information on British politicians such as former Conservative cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith and Labour peer Helena Kennedy.
Prosecutors described the operation as a “shadow policing” effort. The spying ring was uncovered when police thwarted an apparent kidnapping attempt of Monica Kwong, a personal assistant who had fled Hong Kong after being accused of defrauding her employer, Tina Zhou, of £16 million.
Arrest and Trial
Wai was arrested on 1 May 2024 in Kwong's flat in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, along with former Royal Marine Matthew Trickett, who was also charged under the National Security Act. Trickett was found dead in a park near his home a week after being bailed. The group had posed as electricians to gain entry to Kwong's home, with Trickett simulating a flood as a ruse. Police, who had been monitoring the suspects, arrested them when they broke in.
Wai, known as Fatboy, denied providing intelligence to China. He had served in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines and was a lion dancing instructor whose troupe performed at 10 Downing Street. He claimed a chat group used to share intelligence was related to his master's company. However, jurors saw messages between Yuen and Wai referring to activists as “cockroaches.”
Reactions
Home Office minister Dan Jarvis stated: “The activities carried out by these men, on behalf of China, are an infringement of our sovereignty and will never be tolerated. We will continue to hold China to account.” A Chinese embassy spokesperson called the case “a political move of abusing the law” aimed at emboldening anti-China elements in the UK.
The jury could not reach a verdict on charges of foreign interference against the men, and the prosecution will not seek a retrial.
