Young mother in pink PJs on Yorkshire doorstep unaware of ‘tentacles’ from Hong Kong, jurors told

Personal assistant Monika Kwong was allegedly targeted by UK Border Force official Peter Wai, known as Fatboy, on behalf of Chinese authorities.

Wai, who was also a special constable with the City of London Police, had already accessed the Home Office computer system while off sick or on rest days to locate and carry out research into Ms Kwong for money, jurors heard.

Dual Chinese-British national Wai, 38, and retired Hong Kong police superintendent Bill Yuen, 65, are on trial at the Old Bailey on charges under the National Security Act.

Jurors have heard how Wai was tasked by Yuen to engage in a “shadow policing” operation in the UK on behalf of China.

Their targets allegedly included Hong Kong dissidents and pro-democracy protesters – with “special attention” paid to British politicians, including Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

Their activities were exposed on May 1 2024 when they allegedly attempted to “take hold of” a former Hong Kong resident Monica Kwong, from her flat in Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

Ms Kwong had left Hong Kong in 2023 with her young son amid accusations of fraud, which she said was a “set-up” by her influential employer.

Having located Ms Kwong, the defendants allegedly assembled a team to carry out surveillance and “trick” their way into her home.

On Thursday, jurors were shown secretly recorded video footage of Ms Kwong opening her door after responding to a knock on the door of her flat on April 24 2024.

She briefly appeared wearing pink pyjamas with her son around her legs before shutting the door again.

Earlier that day, Matthew Trickett had discussed with fellow team member and former fraud investigator Jason Davies how he would approach Ms Kwong “not to arouse suspicion”, jurors were told.

He suggested using a parcel like the time before or pretending to be a resident who had just moved in.

At 6.47pm, Mr Davies reported back to Mr Trickett: “Just been in. Mother answered door with son beside her. They were in PJs again.”

Trickett, who has since died, relayed the information back to Wei along with the video. In turn, Wei sent the footage to Yuen, jurors heard.

The 37-year-old immigration enforcement officer and ex-Royal Marine then inquired of Mr Davies what he had said to Ms Kwong, jurors heard.

Mr Davies allegedly replied: “I just asked if she had happened to see my lost ID badge on the floor in the hall as I believe I may have dropped it.”

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told jurors: “Monica Kwong herself had been unaware of any of the surveillance until this point.

“She recalled a man coming to her door looking for his ID. Even then she did not appreciate that this was the tentacles reaching her from Hong Kong.”

Mr Atkinson said the defendants attempted to “trick” her to then “ultimately force” entry to Ms Kwong’s home, with a view to ensuring her return to China.

He said the operation “involved persons connected with the Hong Kong authorities acting as if Pontefract were a town in China rather than Yorkshire”.

After being arrested at Ms Kwong’s home on May 1, Wai allegedly had his warrant card as a City of London special police officer and a second – fake – card identifying him as a superintendent.

Mr Davies explained that he had been instructed to undertake surveillance in Pontefract to “confirm the occupants of an address and take images of them”, so that lawyers could serve paperwork on the female occupant.

Yuen was employed by the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office (HKETO) in London, said to be an extension in the UK of the Hong Kong government.

The defendants are jointly charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service between December 20 2023 and May 2 2024, and a second charge of foreign interference on May 1 2024 by forcing entry into a UK residential address.

Wai is also accused of misconduct in a public office by misusing his access to the Home Office computer system.

Wai, of Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey; and Yuen, of Hackney, east London, have denied the charges against them.

The Old Bailey trial continues.