Former British marine accused of spying for Hong Kong discovered lifeless in U.Okay. park by passerby

A former member of the U.Okay.’s Royal Marines who was charged with helping Hong Kong authorities with gathering intelligence in the UK has died in unexplained circumstances, British police stated Tuesday.

Matthew Trickett, 37, was certainly one of three males charged earlier this month with agreeing to interact in data gathering, surveillance and acts of deception that had been more likely to materially help the Hong Kong intelligence service from late 2023 to Could 2. Prosecutors additionally alleged that the boys pressured entry right into a U.Okay. residential deal with on Could 1.

The boys had all been bailed and had been subsequent on account of seem at London’s Central Felony Court docket for a listening to on Friday. They have not but entered pleas.

Thames Valley Police stated Trickett was discovered lifeless in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday afternoon after a report from a member of the general public. The police stated an investigation was ongoing into the “unexplained loss of life.”

“His household have been knowledgeable and they’re being supported by officers,” police stated in an announcement. “We’d kindly ask that their privateness is revered at this troublesome time.”  

British media reviews stated Trickett was previously a Royal Marine. He was additionally previously employed by the U.Okay. Border Pressure at Heathrow Airport, earlier than becoming a member of Dwelling Workplace Immigration Enforcement on February 21, 2024, the U.Okay.’s PA information company reported. He was additionally the director of MTR Consultancy, a safety agency fashioned in April 2021.

He was charged together with Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63. The boys appeared at a quick courtroom listening to to verify their identities on Could 13.

The three had been charged with helping a overseas intelligence service and with overseas interference, in violation of the 2023 Nationwide Safety Act.

The act got here into pressure in December and is designed to bolster U.Okay. nationwide safety in opposition to “hostile exercise” concentrating on the nation’s democratic establishments, financial system and values.

Police stated earlier the “overseas intelligence service” in query was Hong Kong’s.

Hong Kong authorities have confirmed that Yuen was the workplace supervisor of the Hong Kong Financial and Commerce Workplace in London.

Trickett’s lawyer, Julian Hayes, stated he was “shocked” at Tuesday’s information and was supporting Trickett’s household. He declined to remark, as a result of investigations had been ongoing.

A police cordon remained in place in Grenfell Park in Maidenhead late Tuesday, with a number of officers stationed subsequent to a black forensics tent near a playground.

“Groundless and slanderous” accusations

Chinese language authorities in each the U.Okay. and Hong Kong have decried the costs, saying they had been the newest in a collection of “groundless and slanderous” accusations by U.Okay. authorities authorities in opposition to China.

Hong Kong’s authorities demanded that the U.Okay. present full particulars on the allegations and defend the rights of the workplace supervisor of the commerce workplace.

The spying prices got here amid simmering tensions between Britain and China. U.Okay. officers have been more and more vocal in warning about safety threats from Beijing, and not too long ago accused China of being behind a string of cyberespionage operations concentrating on politicians and Britain’s election watchdog.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated Britain is going through an more and more harmful future due to threats from an “axis of authoritarian states,” together with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

In a separate and ongoing courtroom case, two males, together with a parliamentary researcher, had been not too long ago charged with spying for China. Christopher Money and Christopher Berry had been charged with violating the Official Secrets and techniques Act by offering data or paperwork that could possibly be “helpful to an enemy” — China — and “prejudicial to the protection or pursuits” of the U.Okay. between late 2021 and February 2023.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese language management as a semiautonomous territory in 1997. Greater than 100,000 Hong Kongers have moved to the U.Okay. since Beijing imposed a sweeping nationwide safety legislation triggered by the large anti-government protests within the metropolis in 2019. Britain’s authorities has established a fast-track immigration route for the migrants, a lot of whom need to settle within the U.Okay. due to dwindling civil liberties of their dwelling metropolis.

Rights teams have warned that Hong Kongers who’ve moved to Britain proceed to face “transnational repression” by supporters of the Chinese language authorities.

AFP contributed to this report.