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2w ago

Two Men Jailed for Running ‘Shadow Policing’ Operations Targeting Hong Kong Dissidents in UK

The June 18 sentencing highlights the UK’s drive to punish covert information‑gathering for foreign authorities and signals tougher scrutiny of transnational repression

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Defendant Chi Leung Wai, also known as Peter Wai, arrives at the Old Bailey after being charged with National Security Act offences relating to spying for Hong Kong intelligence service in London, Britain, October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Chung Biu Yuen arrives at the Old Bailey court, during a trial where he and co-defendant Chi Leung Wai are accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service, in London, Britain, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Overview

  • A judge at the Old Bailey sentenced Chi Leung (Peter) Wai to 10 years and Chung Biu (Bill) Yuen to eight years on Thursday June 18, 2026 after their May convictions for assisting a foreign intelligence service.
  • The jury found the pair carried out unauthorised surveillance and information gathering in the UK to benefit Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, with encrypted messages, call records and other digital evidence shown at trial.
  • Prosecutors said Wai abused his public role by using Home Office/Border Force computer systems to pull personal data while Yuen organised and funded operations from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.
  • The two were arrested after a monitored failed attempt to abduct Monica Kwong from her Pontefract flat on May 1, 2024, an operation that exposed the group’s tactics and led security services to intervene.
  • China’s embassy called the prosecutions political while UK authorities framed the case as a test of the National Security Act 2023 and warned it will prompt closer checks on Hong Kong links, possible inquiries and ongoing fallout for those targeted.