A UK court on June 18 sentenced two men for assisting activities linked to Chinese intelligence operations in Britain. Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 40, a former UK police officer and Border Force official, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, received an eight-year sentence. Both were convicted under the UK’s National Security Act for assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Prosecutors said the pair participated in what police described as a “shadow policing operation” conducted on behalf of Hong Kong authorities and, ultimately, the Chinese state. The case has heightened concerns about foreign interference in the UK and the ability of hostile states to obtain personal information on individuals residing in the country. Counter Terrorism Policing London stated that such activities “will not be tolerated” in the United Kingdom.
Wai, who joined the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport in 2020, used his access to government databases to collect information on Hong Kong activists and dissidents who had relocated to the UK following Beijing’s crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. Yuen, a former Hong Kong police officer who later served as an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, acted as an intermediary between Wai and Chinese authorities.
The investigation also involved former Royal Marine and Border Force officer Matthew Trickett, who allegedly participated in surveillance operations targeting prominent Hong Kong activist Nathan Law. Trickett was charged alongside Wai and Yuen but was later found dead in an apparent suicide. An inquest into his death is scheduled for November.
Source: BBC, June 18, 2026
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/articles/c0lyn1zep14o/simp