British man accused of spying for Hong Kong, Matthew Trickett, found dead in park

A former member of Britain’s Royal Marines who was granted bail by a court last week along with two Hong Kong men on espionage charges has been found dead, British police said on Tuesday.

Matthew Trickett, 37, was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday after a citizen reported it, Thames Valley Police said.

A police cordon remained in place at Grenfell Park late on Tuesday, with several officers stationed next to a black forensics tent near a children’s playground.

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“The death of the deceased is currently under investigation and is currently considered unexplained,” police said in a statement. “A post mortem will be carried out in due course.”

Grenfell Park in Maidenhead, England, west of London, where Matthew Trickett was found dead. Photo: PA via AP alt=Grenfell Park in Maidenhead, England, west of London, where Matthew Trickett was found dead. Photo: PA via AP>

Police appealed to the public for information, particularly “information about anyone who was in Grenfell Park on Sunday afternoon before 5:15 p.m.”

Trickett, from southeast England, was one of three men charged in the Hong Kong espionage case.

He was previously employed by the UK Border Police at Heathrow Airport before moving to the Home Office Immigration Department on February 21, 2024.

He was also a director of MTR Consultancy, a security company founded in April 2021.

He was released on bail along with Peter Wai Chi-leung, 38, and Bill Yuen Chung-biu, 63, pending their next court appearance, scheduled for Friday.

Yuen was an office manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.

Trickett’s attorney, Julian Hayes, said he was “shocked” by Tuesday’s news and supported Trickett’s family. He declined to comment because the investigation was ongoing.

The three were charged with aiding a foreign intelligence service and foreign interference, a violation of the National Security Act of 2023.

The law came into force in December and is intended to strengthen Britain’s national security against “hostile activities” targeting the country’s democratic institutions, economy and values.

Police previously said the “foreign intelligence agency” in question was that of Hong Kong.

Eleven people were arrested this month as part of the British police investigation.

The story goes on

The case has fueled a diplomatic row between Britain and China. The British Foreign Office summoned the Chinese ambassador on May 14 and declared that espionage and cyberattacks on British soil were unacceptable.

Bill Yuen appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London last Monday. Photo: PA via AP alt=Bill Yuen appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London last Monday. Photo: PA via AP>

China’s foreign envoy to Hong Kong has “strongly condemned” Britain for “constructing allegations” and accused it of “malicious intent to interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs.”

The office warned that Britain would receive “China’s decisive and strong retaliation.”

The United Kingdom has been outspoken about the Hong Kong government’s new national security law, which it says undermines the territory’s rights and freedoms.

Britain has repeatedly denounced the treatment of pro-democracy activists in its former colony and introduced a visa system to allow Hong Kong residents to enter Britain.

Hong Kong police last year issued a wanted list of eight foreign activists, including former opposition lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung.

The Trickett case comes after two men, one of whom works in the British Parliament, were charged last month with spying for China and are due to go on trial next year.

Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative coverage of China and Asia in more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP Facebook and Facebook pages Twitter Pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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