Bill Yuen (left) and Peter Way were sentenced to 8 and 10 years in prison respectively
A British court on Thursday sentenced two British and Chinese citizens to prison on charges of spying on Hong Kong dissidents residing in the United Kingdom, describing their actions as “deliberate, coordinated and dangerous.”
“Judge Bobby Cheema Group sentenced former British Border Force official Peter Wei, 40, to 10 years in prison and retired Hong Kong police officer Bill Yuen, 65, to eight years for carrying out what he called “shadow policing” on British soil on behalf of China.Sentencing Yuen and Wai at London’s Old Bailey, the judge said they had caused “real and significant” harm and left their victims in “fear and distress”.After a two-month trial, the two men were convicted in May of aiding a foreign intelligence service under national security laws.The court also found Way guilty of misconduct in public office. According to the prosecutor, he searched the UK Home Office’s computer system for individuals of interest to the Hong Kong authorities.He previously served in the British Constabulary and the Royal Navy before working for the UK Border Force Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.The jury heard that Wai gathered intelligence on the instructions of Yuen, a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office (HKETO), which represents the Hong Kong government in London.
Tens of thousands of people, including democracy activists wanted by Chinese authorities, have moved to Britain since Hong Kong enacted the national security law in mid-2020.The caseAs well as their usual targets, the two men paid “special attention” to politicians, including senior Conservative Party figure Iain Duncan Smith.Yuen and Way conducted information gathering, surveillance and deception, and one operation included photographs of prominent activist Nathan Law.Their activities coincided with Hong Kong authorities announcing rewards of around £100,000 ($132,000) for information to identify several UK-based activists, including Lu.Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law, which severely restricted freedoms in the former British colony, has contributed to years of tense relations, exacerbated by mutual accusations of espionage between London and Beijing.The British Labor government sought to reset relations but faced internal opposition, especially after agreeing to plans to establish a huge new Chinese embassy in London.(With AFP inputs)
