A former British immigration official and a retired Hong Kong police officer have been sentenced to prison after being convicted of spying for China in the United Kingdom. Peter Wai, 41, who worked for the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport and previously served as a Metropolitan Police officer and a special constable with the City of London Police, was sentenced to 10 years. His handler, Bill Yuen, 66, a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, received an eight-year sentence following their convictions at the Old Bailey in London.

The pair were found guilty under the National Security Act 2023 of assisting a foreign intelligence service. Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office for illegally accessing Home Office computer systems to gather information on individuals of interest to Hong Kong authorities. The case marked one of the first prosecutions under the new National Security Act, which targets foreign interference and espionage activities on British soil.

The investigation revealed that Wai conducted “shadow policing” operations targeting Hong Kong pro-democracy activists and dissidents residing in the UK. These included surveillance of political exiles such as Nathan Law, a prominent former Hong Kong politician, as well as other activists whose families faced persecution in mainland China. Wai was also instructed to monitor British politicians sympathetic to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, including former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and peer Helena Kennedy.

Yuen, who had previously worked as a superintendent in Hong Kong, was accused of directing Wai’s activities and maintaining links with the Chinese Security Bureau through contacts with other former police officials. The two men, both dual Chinese-British nationals, first established their working relationship in 2021 and were arrested in May 2024 after a failed attempt to forcibly remove Monica Kwong, a suspected fraudster who had fled Hong Kong, from her home in Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

A third individual, Matthew Trickett, a former Royal Marine and immigration enforcement officer who was arrested alongside Wai and Yuen, died by suicide shortly after being granted bail. Seven others linked to the operation fled the UK following their release.

In court, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb described the defendants’ conduct as “deliberate, concerted and serious,” noting the significant distress inflicted on those targeted. She criticized Wai’s attitude towards his offenses, describing it as arrogant with a sense of entitlement. The judge also noted that she could not consider evidence of spying activities prior to the implementation of the 2023 National Security Act.

Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, emphasized that the investigation and convictions underscore the UK authorities’ commitment to preventing foreign intelligence operations and protecting individuals exercising their rights in Britain. Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy dismissed the convictions as a politicized misuse of law intended to embolden anti-China elements.

Defense counsel for Wai argued that the case did not constitute a traditional spy ring and contested claims of harm to the UK. However, the Crown Prosecution Service stated that the verdict sends a strong message against transnational repression, unauthorized surveillance, and foreign interference on British territory.

The City of London Police conducted a review of Wai’s tenure as a special constable following his arrest, stating that no misconduct was recorded at the time of his vetting and underscoring improvements made since then to their vetting procedures.