Former British Marine Found Dead After Being Accused of Spying

(LibertyInsider.org) – Earlier this month, three men were arrested and charged by UK authorities on suspicion of assisting the Hong Kong Intelligence Service. Chung Biu Yuen, 63, Chi Leung Wai, 38, and Matthew Trickett, 37, were taken into custody, charged with foreign interference and assisting an intelligence service, and then bailed out. Just days later, Trickett was dead, and authorities are treating it as an unexplained death.

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 19, Trickett was found dead in a park west of London. A member of the public called the police, who arrived on the scene. Emergency workers tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead. The Thames Valley Police issued a statement identifying the victim, who was already known to police due to the charges against him. They said the department is investigating his death, which they are currently treating as “unexplained.”

British man accused of spying for China is found dead in park https://t.co/OhFxW4jL1l

— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) May 22, 2024

Trickett was due to appear in court on Friday, May 24, for a hearing alongside Yuen and Wai, who stand accused of violating the 2023 National Security Act. The legislation was enacted in December as a means of trying to protect the UK against “hostile activity” that threatened the nation’s values, economy, and democratic institutions. The three men allegedly engaged in such activities from last year until May 2 of this year.

The 37-year-old is a former Royal Marine and also previously worked for the UK Border Force at London’s Heathrow Airport. He was also said to be the director of security firm MTR Consultancy. It’s not clear how he knew the other two men.

Prosecutor Kashif Malik had petitioned to keep Trickett in jail because he had attempted suicide once before. A judge denied that request. Now, since he had prior police interactions before his death, a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was mandated. The office then “decided that the matter should be investigated by Thames Valley Police’s Professional Standards Department.”