A former royal marine accused of spying for Hong Kong has been found dead in “unexplained” circumstances.
Matthew Trickett, 37, was found in a park near his home on Sunday just days after being accused of carrying out surveillance and hostile reconnaissance of pro-democracy activists in the United Kingdom for Hong Kong’s intelligence service.
The alleged spy, who worked as an immigration agent for the Home Office, was due to appear at the Old Bailey on Friday accused of betraying his country.
His family said: “We are mourning the loss of a much loved son, brother and family man.”
Police said yesterday they were treating the death as unexplained. But it can be revealed that prosecutors wanted to keep Trickett in custody for his own safety, following a previous suicide attempt he made after his arrest.
Matthew Trickett, 37, was found in a park near his home on Sunday just days after being accused of conducting hostile surveillance and reconnaissance for Hong Kong’s intelligence service.
It can be revealed that prosecutors wanted to keep Trickett in custody for his own safety, following a previous suicide attempt he made following his arrest.
Despite this, the Afghanistan veteran was released on bail on Monday of last week. Six days later he was found dead in Grenfell Park in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
In an extraordinary espionage case, the first of its kind, Trickett and two other men, Chi Leung Wai, 38, who works at Heathrow for the UK Border Force, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, a trade official , are jointly accused of carrying out surveillance operations in the United Kingdom allegedly targeting dissidents of the regime.
It is the first time that someone has been accused of spying on British soil for the Hong Kong intelligence service.
The trio were charged last Monday under the new National Security Law enacted last year to target those secretly working for hostile states within the United Kingdom.
Born in Poole, Dorset, in 1987, Trickett enlisted in the Royal Marines at the age of 19 and served for seven years, rising to the position of detachment commander.
He fought against Taliban and Somali pirates in the Red Sea before leaving the military in 2013. He created his own security company in 2021, working as a bodyguard for engineers, foreign dignitaries and corporate organizations, as well as wealthy families.
Trickett then worked in the UK Border Force at Heathrow before joining the Home Office Immigration Service on February 21 this year.
When he appeared in court last Monday, there were concerns for his health after he had attempted suicide two days earlier.
Kashif Malik, prosecuting, told Westminster Magistrates’ Court: “On Saturday morning he attempted to hurt himself and commit suicide. The custody team intervened and he is now under 24-hour surveillance.
‘On two separate occasions he told the custody sergeants that when he was released he would commit suicide, he had nothing to live for. We don’t know how realistic he is, but… having already tried to harm himself while in prison, he should remain in custody for his own safety.’
Trickett was found dead in Grenfell Park in Maidenhead, Berkshire, six days after his release.
But Julian Hayes, defending, downplayed the suicide attempt, attributing it to Trickett’s medical condition.
He said: ‘He suffers from hypogonadism, a hormone deficiency that requires testosterone, which he takes every other day.
“He wasn’t going to get that in custody and as a result his mood plummeted and he attempted to self-harm. “It was more of a cry for help than a genuine attempt.
Hayes told the court it was “for his own well-being” to release Trickett on bail and suggested he could report to a police station daily.
Yesterday, a Thames Valley Police spokesman said Trickett’s body had been found six days later: “At around 5.15pm on Sunday, officers attended Grenfell Park, Maidenhead.
“Emergency treatment was initiated but sadly the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
“An investigation is underway into the death, which is currently considered unexplained.”
The force has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
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