UK man accused of spying for Hong Kong dies under ‘unexplained circumstances’

A man accused of helping Hong Kong authorities gather intelligence in the UK has died under unexplained circumstances, British police reported on Tuesday (May 21.)

37-year-old Matthew Trickett was among three men charged earlier this month with agreeing to engage in collecting information, surveillance and acts of deception that were likelyassist the Hong Kong intelligence service from late 2023 to May 2 this year.

The prosecutors further alleged that the accused forced entry into a UK residential address on May 1.

All three men had been bailed and were due to appear at London’s Central Criminal Court for a hearing on Friday (May 24).

As per the Thames Valley police, Trickett was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday (May 19). An investigation is underway into his death, which is being treated as unexplained.

According to British media reports, Trickett was formerly a Royal Marine who worked as a Home Office immigration enforcement officer. He was reportedly the director of a security consultancy too.

Trickett, along with 38-year-old Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, and 63-year-old Chung Biu Yuen were detained. The men appeared at a brief court hearing to confirm their identities on May 13.

Hong Kong authorities have confirmed that Yuen was the office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.

Trickett’s lawyer, Julian Hayes, expressed his shock at Tuesday’s news and stated that he was supporting Trickett’s family.

He declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigations. As of late Tuesday, a police cordon remained in place at Grenfell Park in Maidenhead, with several officers stationed near a black forensics tent close to a children’s playground.

However, Chinese authorities in both the UK and Hong Kong have condemned the charges, saying they were the latest in a series of groundless accusations that the UK government has leveled against China.

Hong Kong’s government demanded that the UK provide full details on the allegations.

The spying charges came amid tensions between UK and China. UK have been vocal in warning about security threats from Beijing, and recently accused China of being behind a string of cyberespionage operations targeting politicians and Britain’s election watchdog.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said Britain is facing an increasingly dangerous future because of threats from an “axis of authoritarian states,” including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

In a separate ongoing court case, two men, including a parliamentary researcher, were recently charged with espionage for China.

Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry are accused of violating the Official Secrets Act by supplying information or documents that could be useful to an enemy—China—and "prejudicial to the safety or interests" of the UK between late 2021 and February 2023.

(With inputs from agencies)