London man among three charged with spying for Hong Kong

THREE men, including one from London, were today appearing in court charged with spying for Hong Kong in breach of the National Security Act.

Chung Biu Yuen, 63, from Hackney, Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, from Staines, and Matthew Trickett, 37, from Maidenhead, are all alleged to have assisted the Hong Kong intelligence service.

They are also charged with foreign interference in another alleged breach of national security legislation and were appearing in custody at Westminster magistrates’ court today. Police said another eight people, seven men and a woman, had also been arrested as part of the investigation but had since been released from custody.

Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command, said police were unable to give further details but that officers did not believe the public were at risk.

“A number of arrests were made and searches carried out across England as part of this investigation,” he said. “While led from London, the Counter Terrorism Policing network has been crucial to disrupting this activity.

“While these offences are concerning, I want to reassure the public that we do not believe there to be any wider threat to them. This investigation remains ongoing, but now that charges have been brought, I urge people not to speculate or comment further in relation to this case.”

He added: “This operation is not connected to a recently reported counter terrorism policing investigation linked to Russia.”

Although run by a separate administration, Hong Kong is a part of China, which has been accused by the government and intelligence chiefs of engaging in an increasing amount of espionage against the UK.