A trial has begun in London involving two men accused by British prosecutors of carrying out covert intelligence activities described as “shadow policing” on behalf of authorities linked to Hong Kong.

The case at the Central Criminal Court, widely known as the Old Bailey, centres on allegations that the defendants gathered information and conducted surveillance on individuals in the United Kingdom who were regarded as persons of interest by officials in Hong Kong.

Both men deny all charges.

Bill Yuen, sixty-five, a former Hong Kong police superintendent who later worked as an administrative manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, and Peter Wai, a thirty-eight-year-old officer with the United Kingdom’s Border Force, are accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service in breach of Britain’s National Security Act.

Prosecutors claim the pair acted as if they were law-enforcement officials while conducting surveillance and collecting information about targets that included activists and political figures living in Britain.

According to prosecutors, the activities amounted to a form of unofficial law-enforcement operation conducted overseas, which they described in court as “shadow policing.” Authorities allege the effort was linked to monitoring individuals connected to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement who relocated to Britain in recent years.

The charges relate to alleged activities between late two thousand twenty-three and the spring of two thousand twenty-four, including surveillance operations and the gathering of personal information.

Prosecutors also say Wai accessed official databases during his work as a border officer without proper justification, an allegation forming part of the case.

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the accusations and maintain they did not engage in unlawful intelligence activities.

Defence lawyers are expected to challenge the prosecution’s interpretation of the events and the nature of the defendants’ actions.

The case is being heard under Britain’s National Security Act, legislation introduced to counter foreign interference and espionage.

The law makes it a criminal offence to assist a foreign intelligence service or engage in activities intended to benefit a foreign state in ways deemed harmful to national security.

The proceedings come amid heightened scrutiny in Britain over alleged overseas monitoring of political activists and diaspora communities.

The trial is expected to examine the extent to which activities linked to foreign governments may have been conducted within the United Kingdom.

Officials from Hong Kong and China have previously rejected accusations connected to the case, describing them as unfounded and politically motivated, while the legal process in London continues with evidence and testimony expected to unfold over the coming weeks.