A London court handed harsh prison sentences to two men convicted of spying on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists within the United Kingdom for the Chinese government. Wai Chi-leung, a former British immigration officer, received a 10-year sentence. Yuen Chung-biu, a retired Hong Kong police officer and former official at Hong Kong’s Economic and Trade Office in London, was sentenced to eight years after both were found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the UK’s National Security Act 2023.
The case exposed covert surveillance activities targeting prominent Hong Kong activists residing in the UK, including former lawmaker Nathan Law. Prosecutors revealed that the spying operation began as early as 2021, based on messages recovered from Yuen’s mobile phone. Law is among those sought by the Hong Kong national security police, who have offered significant bounties for information leading to the arrest or location of pro-democracy advocates.
During his tenure at London Heathrow’s British Border Force, Wai used the UK Home Office’s systems improperly to track surveillance targets, resulting in an additional conviction for misconduct in a public office. The investigation unfolded publicly after the thwarted attempt to break into Monica Kwong’s UK home, a Hong Kong pro-democracy refugee. Operators, including Wai, a former British Royal Marine, two former Hong Kong police officers, and Kwong’s former employer in Hong Kong, attempted to intimidate her by posing as maintenance workers and forcing entry, triggering British police intervention.
Counterterrorism Police Commander Helen Flanagan described the espionage and harassment efforts as “sinister and chilling.” The authorities’ swift response prevented further intrusion and brought the network behind the spying to light. Earlier on the day of sentencing, Hong Kong authorities removed Yuen’s name from the official government directory, signaling a distancing from the controversy surrounding his activities.
This prosecution is considered among the first high-profile convictions in the UK for spying on behalf of the Chinese government, reflecting heightened concerns about foreign intelligence operations targeting dissident communities in the country.