UK police say a man charged with helping Hong Kong intelligence service is found dead

LONDON (AP) — A man charged with assisting Hong Kong authorities with gathering intelligence in the United Kingdom has died in unexplained circumstances, British police said Tuesday.

Matthew Trickett, 37, was one of three men charged earlier this month with agreeing to engage in information gathering, surveillance and acts of deception that were likely to materially assist the Hong Kong intelligence service from late 2023 to May 2.

The men had all been bailed and were next due to appear at London’s Central Criminal Court for a hearing on Friday.

Thames Valley Police said Trickett was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday afternoon after a report from a member of the public.

Police said that an investigation is ongoing into the death, which is being treated as unexplained.

Trickett was charged along with Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63. The men appeared at a court hearing to confirm their identities on May 13. Prosecutors also alleged that the men forced entry into a U.K. residential address on May 1.

Hong Kong authorities have confirmed that Yuen was the office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.

Trickett’s lawyer, Julian Hayes, said he was “shocked” at Tuesday’s news and was supporting Trickett’s family. He declined to comment, because investigations were ongoing.

Chinese authorities in both the U.K. and Hong Kong have decried the charges, saying they were the latest in a series of “groundless and slanderous” accusations that the U.K. government has leveled against China.

The government of Hong Kong demanded that the U.K. provide full details on the allegations and protect the rights of the office manager of the trade office.

The spying charges came amid