UK court convicts two men for spying for Hong Kong, China | Espionage News
Two Men Sentenced for Spying on Pro-Democracy Activists in the UK
LONDON — Two dual Chinese-British nationals, Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 66, and Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 41, were sentenced to prison on Thursday after being convicted of espionage on behalf of the Chinese government. The pair is believed to be the first individuals in the UK to face such convictions for spying for China.
Yuen, a former employee of the UK Border Force, and Wai were found guilty last month of assisting a foreign intelligence service by conducting surveillance on pro-democracy dissidents living in the United Kingdom. Their activities took place between December 2023 and May 2024.
Wai was also convicted of misusing his position to access the interior ministry’s computer database for information about their targets. The defendants had denied the allegations. In response to the convictions, the Chinese embassy in London criticized the case as a “political move” motivated by a misuse of the law.
During sentencing at London’s Old Bailey court, Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb highlighted the nature of modern foreign intelligence operations, which often extend beyond traditional espionage to include surveillance and intimidation of dissidents seeking refuge in the UK.
“The United Kingdom now faces persistent, adaptive, and often clandestine interference by foreign state actors,” the judge said.
Yuen received an eight-year sentence, while Wai was sentenced to ten years in prison. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, described the defendants’ actions as “truly chilling,” noting that they targeted individuals advocating for democracy and protesting against the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.
The arrests followed a failed attempt to abduct a former Hong Kong resident, Monica Kwong, from her home in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, on May 1, 2024.
