Two men have been handed substantial prison sentences after being found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service, an offence brought under the National Security Act. Chi Leung 'Peter' Wai, 40, received a 10-year term, while Chung Biu 'Bill' Yuen, 65, was sentenced to eight years following a trial last month. The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, emphasised that their actions 'threaten the sovereignty of the state' during sentencing remarks at the Old Bailey on Thursday.
Wai, who previously worked as a Border Force officer at Heathrow Airport, was also convicted of misconduct in public office. He leveraged his access to a comprehensive Home Office database to monitor Hong Kong nationals who had sought refuge in the UK after pro-democracy crackdowns. Yuen, a former Hong Kong police officer who later managed the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, acted as Wai's link to Chinese authorities. Detectives described their activities as a 'shadow policing operation' conducted on behalf of the Hong Kong authorities and, by extension, the Chinese state.
The investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London revealed the deliberate and coordinated nature of their conduct. Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, issued a clear warning that such foreign state activity within the UK would not be tolerated, stating that those involved would be identified and face the full force of the National Security Act.
The case also shed light on the broader implications of foreign interference. During the trial in May, the court heard that 'special attention' was paid to British politicians, including Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith. Wai, who holds both British and Hong Kong passports, had a varied career, including stints with the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Navy. He even drew another Border Force officer, Matthew Trickett, into his surveillance activities before Trickett's death in a suspected suicide, an inquest for which is scheduled for November.
The sentencing was observed by several pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong, some of whom have bounties of HK$1 million (approximately £100,000) placed on their heads by Hong Kong authorities. This case underscores the serious questions surrounding the ability of hostile states to gather intelligence on individuals residing in Britain and the UK's commitment to countering such threats.