A Former Royal Marine accused of spying for Hong Kong has been found dead in ‘unexplained’ circumstances last night.
Matthew Trickett, 37 was found dead in a park near his home just days after being charged with carrying out surveillance and hostile reconnaissance on pro-democracy activists in the UK for the Hong Kong intelligence service.
The suspected spy, who worked as an immigration enforcement officer for the Home Office, due to appear at the Old Bailey on Friday charged with betraying his country.
In a statement, his family said: ‘We’re mourning the loss of a much-loved son, brother and family man.’
Speaking of the Royal Marine’s death, a local resident told MailOnline: ‘This has been extremely disturbing for residents.
‘Police have been going around asking for doorbell cam in the hope of tracing his movements.
‘The next thing we heard, this was an unexplained death and now we hear about the spying charges he was facing.’
Police said they are currently treating the death as unexplained.
But it can be revealed that prosecutors wanted to remand him in custody for his own safety, after a previous suicide attempt following his arrest.
Despite this, the Afghanistan veteran was released on bail last Monday.
In an extraordinary espionage case which is the first of its kind, Trickett and two other men, Chi Leung Wai, 38, who works at Heathrow Airport for UK Border Force and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, a trade official, are jointly accused of carrying out surveillance operations in the UK allegedly targeting dissidents of the regime.
It is the first that anyone has been charged with spying on British soil for the Hong Kong intelligence service.
The trio were charged last Monday under the new National Security Act brought in last year to target those working secretly for hostile states within the UK.
Hellbound and Down 