UK Jails 2 Over 'Truly Chilling' Spying for Hong Kong

Key Points:

• Former UK border official Peter Wai and retired Hong Kong police officer Bill Yuen were sentenced to prison for spying on Hong Kong dissidents and pro-democracy supporters in Britain, including former lawmaker Nathan Law and British politicians critical of China.
• Wai was sentenced to 10 years and Yuen to 8 years after being found guilty of breaching the National Security Act and assisting a foreign intelligence service; Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office.
• The two posed as police or intelligence officers to conduct surveillance on behalf of Hong Kong authorities and, by extension, the Chinese state, causing fear and distress among their targets.
• The case prompted diplomatic tensions, with the Chinese Embassy in the UK denouncing the trial as a political farce, while British authorities condemned the spying as a serious threat to pro-democracy activists seeking sanctuary.
• A third accused, Matthew Trickett, also a Border Force officer, died by suicide after being released on bail; an inquest into his death is planned.