LONDON (AP) — A former U.K. border official and a retired Hong Kong police officer were handed prison sentences Thursday for carrying out espionage operations targeting dissidents and critics of Beijing who were living in Britain.
Prosecutors said Peter Wai, a Border Force officer, and Bill Yuen, a former superintendent with the Hong Kong Police, disguised themselves as law enforcement or intelligence personnel to surveil and collect information on Hong Kong dissidents and supporters of the pro-democracy movement.
Among those targeted was former Hong Kong lawmaker Nathan Law, as well as activists the pair referred to as “cockroaches” and British politicians who had spoken out against China, according to prosecutors.
Last month, a jury found both men — who hold Chinese-British citizenship — guilty of violating the National Security Act by aiding a foreign intelligence service. Wai faced an additional conviction of misconduct in a public office after investigators found he had used a government computer to look up individuals who were of interest to Hong Kong authorities.
At London’s Central Criminal Court, Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb sentenced Wai, 41, to 10 years behind bars and handed Yuen, 66, an eight-year prison term.
The judge described the pair’s actions as “deliberate, concerted, and serious,” noting that their conduct left the people they targeted living in fear and distress.
Before joining the U.K. Border Force, Wai had served as an officer with London’s Metropolitan Police. Yuen held the position of office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, which serves as the official overseas representative of Hong Kong’s government.
Helen Flanagan, commander for Counter Terrorism Policing London, described the conduct as deeply alarming. “The activity of Wai and Yuen was truly chilling,” she said.
“They were spying and targeting individuals in the U.K. who were pro-democracy campaigners and were simply protesting against the Hong Kong and Chinese government and authorities and seeking sanctuary in the U.K.,” Flanagan added.
Following last month’s convictions, Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang was called in to the British Foreign Office. China’s Embassy in the U.K. responded by calling the case a political farce designed to support anti-China individuals who had fled to Britain.
The Hong Kong government, meanwhile, maintained that the allegations “are absolutely unrelated” to the government or the Economic and Trade Office, and accused British authorities of building the case on baseless accusations and manipulating legal proceedings to secure a guilty verdict.
