Two men convicted in UK’s first China spying case under new law

A former Hong Kong police officer and a former UK Border Force officer were jailed after Britain’s first prosecution for spying on behalf of China under the National Security Act 2023. The case exposed how British law can now reach conduct that went beyond classic espionage and into tracking dissidents, gathering personal data and using official systems to support a foreign intelligence effort.

At the Old Bailey, jurors found Chung Biu Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung Wai, 40, guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service after hearing that they ran unauthorised information-gathering and unlawful surveillance in the United Kingdom to benefit China. On 18 June 2026, Yuen was sentenced to eight years in prison and Wai to 10 years.

Chung Biu Yuen, also known as Bill Yuen, had worked at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, which was described in court as the official overseas representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. The jury heard that the office served as the base through which the defendants’ activities were organised and funded. Chi Leung Wai, also known as Peter Wai, had served as a UK Border Force officer and as a special constable with City of London Police.

The prosecution said the pair targeted Hong Kong pro-democracy dissidents living in Britain, people whom those linked to the Hong Kong authorities allegedly called “cockroaches.” The court heard they sought details such as vehicles, home addresses and social media accounts. Prosecutors also told jurors that bounties of up to £100,000 had been placed on campaigners for information leading to their whereabouts or capture, underscoring the pressure facing activists who have sought refuge in Britain.

Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office after digital evidence showed he used Home Office computer systems to make database searches while off duty and shared sensitive information obtained through his public role. The Crown Prosecution Service said the conduct was deliberate, coordinated and carried out with full knowledge of who it would benefit, describing it as transnational repression and foreign interference that would not be tolerated on British soil. The convictions now set an early benchmark for how the National Security Act will be used against modern intelligence operations aimed at dissidents, institutions and public servants inside the United Kingdom.