A UK court on Thursday jailed two men for gathering information illegally against Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who are now residing in the country. Justice Cheema-Grubb said the crimes committed were highly culpable and imposed jail sentences of eight and ten years, respectively.
In her sentencing remarks, Cheema-Grubb reiterated that the activities of both Chi Leung Wai and Chung Biu Yuen–providing data of dissidents to Hong Kong authorities through access to the UK’s confidential database–amounted to “shadow policing operations.” According to her, their conduct was an attempt to return dissidents to China or Hong Kong via an extrajudicial process that harms the UK’s safety and autonomy. Cheema-Grubb also described Wai’s surveillance and testimony in court as an “arrogant” disregard of rules and regulations. She said Wai’s action as a public officer “corrodes confidence in the fairness and security of the country’s immigration system.”
Helen Flanagan, lead investigator of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the sentences reflected the seriousness of the crime and hoped the outcome would reassure UK residents that they could live in the country free from foreign threats.
On the other hand, a Hong Kong SAR government spokesperson told local media Radio Television Hong Kong that the convictions were “false and smearing.” Both the Chinese and Hong Kong governments reiterated that they were not parties to these accusations.
By a 10-2 majority verdict, a criminal jury at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales (the Old Bailey) found Chi Leung Wai and Chung Biu Yuen guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023 (NSA) on May 7. The prosecution’s case is that Yuen, as the office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, tasked Wai with surveillance activities on Hong Kong dissidents. Wai took advantage of his position as a UK Border Force officer and researched the city’s pro-democracy activists based in the UK. Wai was further convicted of misfeasance in public office by obtaining the personal data of Hong Kong dissidents through the Home Office computer system. However, the jury found them not guilty of foreign interference.
Responding to May’s jury conviction, UK-based rights group Hong Kong Watch, together with the chairperson of the UK’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, Lord Alton of Liverpool, said the case is part of a “systematic, well-documented transnational repression.” On the other hand, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Jian Lin said the criminal proceedings were a political ploy and an abuse of the law to support anti-China forces.
According to a 2025 parliamentary report, transnational repression occurs in the country. However, it lacks a formal definition, hindering the creation of an effective policy response. The report also acknowledged that the existing NSA may be insufficient to address transnational repression for its evolving technological nature.
In the first independent review of the NSA, Johnathan Hall KC nevertheless cautioned that the act can put innocent interactions with foreign intelligence services within its scope, requiring additional vigilance in the use of the NSA provisions.