Their convictions followed a trial last month that exposed an alleged network used to monitor Hong Kong activists and dissidents living in the United Kingdom.
A British court has sentenced two men linked to Chinese intelligence operations to a combined 18 years in prison after prosecutors proved they secretly monitored Hong Kong dissidents and gathered sensitive information on behalf of Beijing, in what authorities described as a serious threat to the UK's national security.
One of the convicts, 40-year-old Chi Leung "Peter" Wai, a former UK Border Force officer, was jailed for 10 years, while 65-year-old Chung Biu "Bill" Yuen received an eight-year sentence after both were convicted under Britain's National Security Act of assisting a foreign intelligence service. Wai was also found guilty of misconduct in public office.
Delivering judgment at the Old Bailey on Thursday, the trial judge said the pair's activities posed a threat to Britain's sovereignty, according to the BBC.
Their convictions followed a trial last month that exposed an alleged network used to monitor Hong Kong activists and dissidents living in the United Kingdom.
