The two individuals, both holding dual Chinese‑British citizenship, are thought to be the first persons convicted of espionage for China on British soil.
Published On 18 June 2026
Two individuals, one of whom served as a British immigration officer, were sentenced to prison after being found guilty of surveilling prominent pro‑democracy activists residing in the United Kingdom on behalf of Hong Kong and, ultimately, China.
Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, aged 66, and Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, aged 41, former employees of the UK Border Force, were sentenced on Thursday after being found guilty last month of aiding a foreign intelligence service by conducting surveillance on designated targets between December 2023 and May 2024.
They are believed to be the first individuals convicted of espionage for China on UK territory.
Wai was also found guilty of abusing his Border Force role to query the interior ministry’s database for information on the targets.
Both men, who hold dual Chinese and British nationality, denied the charges, while the Chinese embassy in London described the case as “nothing more than a politically motivated abuse of the law”.
In her statement to London’s Old Bailey, Judge Bobbie Cheema‑Grubb warned that the United Kingdom is confronting persistent, adaptive, and often clandestine interference by foreign state actors and their proxies.
“Modern foreign intelligence operations extend beyond traditional espionage targeting military or governmental secrets. They may involve surveillance, information collection, intimidation, and the targeting of dissenters who have sought refuge under this nation’s laws,” the judge added.
Yuen received an eight‑year custodial sentence, whereas Wai was sentenced to ten years in prison.
“The conduct of Wai and Yuen was truly alarming,” remarked Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counter‑terrorism policing in London.
“They were engaged in surveillance and targeting of individuals within the United Kingdom who are pro‑democracy campaigners, merely exercising their right to protest against the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities,” she said.
Wai and Yuen were taken into custody after an attempted abduction of former Hong Kong resident Monica Kwong from her residence in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, on 1 May 2024 failed.
