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Two immigration officers from the UK were apprehended after reportedly breaking into an apartment in Pontefract, a court has been told. The pair had allegedly been hired by a Chinese-Australian woman to carry out this action. Authorities had installed an audio surveillance device inside the flat, which captured the sound of the door being forced open.
One of the officers, Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, currently faces trial at the Old Bailey. His co-accused, former Royal Marine Matthew Trickett, was found dead in May 2024 after being released on bail following his arrest. Wai is contesting charges related to aiding a foreign intelligence agency, foreign interference, and misconduct in public office linked to searches of Home Office databases. Wai, aged 38, stands trial alongside Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, an official from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, who also denies charges of assisting foreign intelligence and foreign interference.
The prosecution alleges that Yuen served as the intermediary between Wai and Chinese authorities. Both men stated to detectives that their initial meeting took place in a Chinatown restaurant in London. Wai’s background includes service as a Metropolitan Police officer from 2015 to 2019, followed by a position with the UK Border Force starting in 2020, and he also volunteered as a Special Constable with the City of London Police. Prosecutors argue that Wai exploited his access to the Home Office’s Atlas immigration database while performing private security work, using it to gather details about Hong Kong residents in the UK, which included dissidents and asylum seekers.
Wai and Trickett were known to each other through their Border Force roles at Heathrow Airport, though Trickett later transitioned to Immigration Enforcement. At the end of April 2024, the two, who both owned private security firms, were in Pontefract where Monica Kwong lived with her young son. The prosecution claims that Wai and Trickett wanted to verify Kwong’s residence and had set up a video recording of her answering the door to a parcel delivery, showing her in pink pyjamas with her son visible behind her. A Chinese-Australian woman named Tina Zou, who alleged that Kwong owed her money, had arrived in the UK from China on 28 April. Zou traveled along with two former Hong Kong police officers to Pontefract, where they joined Trickett and Wai.
On 30 April, Trickett knocked on Kwong’s door but received no response; this was recorded on video by the group. The following day, they returned, with Trickett pouring water under the door and then knocking while claiming to be “Dave from maintenance” due to a supposed “leak,” but again they got no reply. Later that evening, the audio bug inside the flat captured noises consistent with forced entry. The prosecution characterized these events as “a shadow police operation by Hong Kong personnel on UK soil.”
Shortly thereafter, British police arrested eleven people at or near the flat, including Wai, Trickett, Zou, two drivers, and the two former Hong Kong police officers. Tragically, Trickett was discovered dead 18 days after being granted bail. The trial is anticipated to continue for six or seven weeks
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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