UK Courts Sentence Two Hong Kong Officials to Up to 10 Years for Espionage

Two men connected to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London were found guilty of spying on activists and were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on Thursday.

Bill Yuen Chung-biu, 65, the office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), received an eight‑year prison term for assisting a foreign intelligence service at the Old Bailey.

Co‑defendant Peter Wai Chi‑leung, 40, a security firm operator and former part‑time UK Border Force officer, was given a 10‑year sentence for the same charge, plus an additional penalty for misconduct in a public office.

The sentencing, delivered by Mrs Justice Bobbie Cheema‑Grubb, followed a morning of legal arguments in which the defence challenged the prosecution’s assertion that the two men’s actions amounted to a “betrayal” of the United Kingdom.

Yuen, a retired police superintendent, was accused of forwarding surveillance requests from Hong Kong authorities to Wai while employed at the trade office.

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