Matthew Trickett: man charged with spying for Hong Kong found dead

Police are investigating the "unexplained death" of a former Royal Marine charged with spying for Hong Kong's intelligence services.

The body of Matthew Trickett was found in a park in Maidenhead, Berkshire on Sunday evening, days after he was released on bail. The 36-year-old, originally from Poole in Dorset, was employed by Immigration Enforcement in February, and had previously worked for Border Force UK.

In court proceedings it emerged that Trickett, who served in the Royal Marines between 2007 and 2013, had attempted to end his life while in custody, said The Times. 

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Trickett and co-defendants Chi Leung Wai and Chung Biu Yuen were accused of carrying out surveillance on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists living in the UK on behalf of the region's government. Wai was also employed by Border Force UK and runs a private security company, while Yuen is a retired Hong Kong police officer now working as a trade official in London.

On Monday, they were charged under the National Security Act with offences relating to "information gathering, surveillance and acts of deception that were likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service". They were also separately charged with "trying to break into the home of a Hong Kong dissident living in Pontefract" on 1 May, The Telegraph said.

All three were granted bail, subject to conditions including a prohibition on foreign travel, restrictions on internet access, and weekly registration at their local police station. The Thames Valley police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to the death following police contact, as is standard in such cases. 

China "reacted angrily" to the charges, condemning what it called an "unwarranted accusation", said The Telegraph. 

Relations between Hong Kong and its former colonial ruler Britain have "soured" in the wake of pro-democracy protests in the Chinese city in 2019 and 2020, said CNN.

The British government has "criticised Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed crackdown" on opposition activists while Hong Kong authorities have "bristled at Britain providing a safe haven" for pro-democracy leaders tracked by Hong Kong police.

The Home Office is understood to have ordered "a review of Border Force and Immigration Enforcement recruitment, vetting and supervision procedures" in light of the arrests, said The Telegraph.