UK soldier charged with spying for Hong Kong found dead

A former Royal Marine who was charged this month with assisting intelligence services in Hong Kong has died in unexplained circumstances, British police said on Tuesday.

Matthew Trickett, 37, was one of three men granted bail at a May 13 court hearing after each being charged with two offences under Britain’s National Security Act.

The charges, which were brought under new legislation that widened the scope of what counts as spying, followed an investigation by the counter terrorism division of London’s Metropolitan Police. Thames Valley Police on Tuesday said Trickett was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday after a report from a member of the public.

The police added “an investigation is ongoing into the death, which is currently being treated as unexplained”. Trickett, a former Royal Marine who had also worked for the UK Border Force and was reportedly the director of a security consultancy, was due to appear at the Old Bailey criminal court for a hearing on Friday.

The other two men who were charged — Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, from Staines and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, from east London — were also due to appear in court.