A former member of Britain's Royal Marines accused of helping Hong Kong authorities gather intelligence in Britain has died under unexplained circumstances, British police said Tuesday.
Matthew Trickett, 37, was one of three men charged earlier this month with agreeing to participate in intelligence gathering, surveillance and acts of deception that could materially assist the intelligence service. Hong Kong intelligence from the end of 2023 until May 2. Prosecutors also alleged that the men forced their way into a residential address in the UK on May 1.
All the men had been released on bail and were due to appear at London's Central Criminal Court on Friday for a hearing. They haven't entered the requests yet.
Thames Valley Police said Trickett was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west London, on Sunday afternoon following a report from a member of the public. Police said the “unexplained death” is under investigation.
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“His family have been informed and are being supported by officers,” police said in a statement. “We kindly ask that your privacy be respected at this difficult time.”
British media said Trickett was formerly a Royal Marine. He was also previously employed by the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport, before joining the Home Immigration Service on February 21, 2024, the agency reported. British news PA. He was also a director of MTR Consultancy, a security company formed in April 2021.
He was charged along with Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63. The men appeared in a brief court hearing to confirm their identities on May 13.
The three were charged with aiding a foreign intelligence service and foreign interference, in violation of the National Security Act of 2023.
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The act came into effect in December and is designed to strengthen the UK's national security against “hostile activity” targeting the country's institutions, economy and democratic values.
Police previously said the “foreign intelligence service” in question was from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong authorities have confirmed that Yuen was the director of the London office of the Hong Kong Economic and Commercial Office.
Trickett's attorney, Julian Hayes, said he was “shocked” by Tuesday's news and supported Trickett's family. He declined to comment, because the investigations were ongoing.
A police cordon remained in place at Maidenhead's Grenfell Park on Tuesday afternoon, with several officers stationed next to a black forensics tent near a children's playground.
“Unfounded and slanderous” accusation.
Chinese authorities in both the UK and Hong Kong have denounced the charges, saying they were the latest in a series of “baseless and slanderous” accusations by UK government authorities against China.
The Hong Kong government demanded that the UK provide full details of the allegations and protect the rights of the head of the trade office.
The spying charges came amid simmering tensions between Britain and China. UK officials have increasingly warned security threats from Beijingand recently accused China of being behind a series of cyber-espionage operations targeting politicians and Britain's election watchdog.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the UK faces an increasingly dangerous future due to threats from an “axis of authoritarian states”, including Russia, china, Iran i North Korea.
In a separate and ongoing court case, two men, including a parliamentary investigator, were recently accused of spying for China. Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry were charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act by providing information or documents which could be “useful to an enemy” – China – and “prejudicial to the security or interests” of the UK between end of 2021 and February 2023.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese control as a semi-autonomous territory in 1997. More than 100,000 Hong Kong women have moved to the UK from Beijing. he imposed a broad national security law sparked by the huge anti-government protests in the city in 2019. The British government has set up a fast-track immigration route for migrants, many of whom want to settle in the UK due to declining civil liberties in the his hometown
Rights groups have warned that Hong Kongers who have moved to Britain continue to face “transnational repression” by supporters of the Chinese government.
AFP contributed to this report.
