Two men first in British history to be found guilty of spying for China

A UK Border Force officer and Hong Kong trade official based in London have been found guilty of spying for China and surveilling dissidents through a “shadow policing” operation. Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 38, and Chung Biu Yuen, 65, also known as Bill, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of assisting a foreign intelligence service, making them the first people in British history to be convicted of spying for China. Wai, who worked for Border Force at Heathrow airport and volunteered as a City of London special constable, was also found guilty of misconduct in public office in relation to unauthorised searches of Home Office databases. The two men, who had denied the charges, were found guilty by majority verdicts. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb will sentence the men, who are both dual Chinese and British nationals, at a later date. Yuen, who was accused of giving Wai the targets to surveil, looked down as the verdict was heard. Wai stared ahead. After 23 hours and 38 minutes of deliberation, jurors could not reach a verdict on charges against the men of foreign interference, a separate offence under the National Security Act. The prosecution said it would not seek a retrial. Chung Biu Yuen was a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in London. …