LONDON - A London jury convicted two dual UK-Chinese nationals Thursday on charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service, part of a broader crackdown on covert Chinese operations targeting dissidents in Britain.
Bill Yuen, 65, a retired Hong Kong police superintendent, and Peter Wai, 38, a former UK Border Force official, were found guilty of conducting “shadow policing” on behalf of Beijing. Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office for illegally accessing interior ministry databases to identify individuals of interest to Hong Kong authorities.
The court heard how Yuen, a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, directed Wai to gather intelligence on Hong Kong dissidents and pro-democracy activists living in Britain. Targets included prominent campaigner Nathan Law and senior Conservative politician Iain Duncan Smith.
Prosecutors said surveillance of Law began as early as 2021. The pair’s activities were exposed in May 2024 when police foiled an alleged plot to abduct a former Hong Kong resident from her home in Yorkshire.
The jury failed to reach verdicts on additional foreign interference charges. Prosecutors will not seek a retrial. Sentencing is set for May 15.