Briton Charged With Aiding Hong Kong’s Intelligence Service Is Found Dead

A former British marine charged with spying for Hong Kong’s intelligence service has died, according to a police statement released on Tuesday evening.

The man, who was named by the Thames Valley Police as Matthew Trickett, was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, a town west of London, on Sunday. Mr. Trickett was one of three men charged last week under Britain’s National Security Act with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service, and their case was expected to return to court on Friday.

Hong Kong is a former British colony and a special administrative region of China, and tensions between London and Beijing have been ratcheting up in recent months as the British government has become increasingly vocal over allegations of Chinese espionage. In the wake of the charges last week, Britain summoned the Chinese ambassador for a reprimand.

Mr. Trickett, 37, who was a British immigration enforcement officer and a former Royal Marine, was also the director of a private security firm, MTR Consultancy.

According to the police, a member of the public alerted the authorities to a situation in Grenfell Park in Maidenhead on Sunday about 5:15 p.m. Mr. Trickett, who was from the area, was found and, despite the efforts of emergency responders, was pronounced dead at the site.

“An investigation is ongoing into the death, which is currently being treated as unexplained,” the police said in a statement, adding that “a post-mortem will be conducted in due course.”

The police have appealed to the public for any information that could help in their investigation.

In a statement provided to Reuters, Mr. Trickett’s family said they were “mourning the loss of a much-loved son, brother and family member.”

Mr. Trickett had been released on