Matthew Trickett: Death of immigration officer accused of spying for Hong Kong 'not suspicious', police say
The former Royal Marine, who was found dead in a park in Maidenhead on Sunday, had been granted bail when he appeared before magistrates last week, despite a prosecution request for him to be remanded in custody for his own welfare.
Friday 24 May 2024 19:01, UK
The death of an immigration officer accused of spying for the Hong Kong intelligence service is not being treated as suspicious, police have said.
Immigration enforcement officer Matthew Trickett, who was also a private investigator, was found dead in a park in Berkshire on Sunday afternoon after a report from a member of the public.
Thames Valley Police (TVP) has said that following a Home Office post-mortem completed on Wednesday, his death "is not being treated as suspicious".
Mr Trickett's family are being supported by specialist officers, a TVP spokesperson said.
The former Royal Marine, 37, was also accused of foreign interference and had appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court alongside Chi (Peter) Leung Wai, 38, from Staines, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, from Hackney, east London, last week.
At the time, police said that while the alleged offences were "concerning", there was not believed to be any wider threat to the public.
At that hearing, the prosecution had asked for Mr Trickett to be remanded in custody for his own welfare ahead of his next hearing at the Old Bailey.
However, he was granted bail and on 19 May he was found dead in Grenfell Park in Maidenhead.
His family said in a statement at the time: "We are mourning the loss of a much-loved son, brother and family member", as they appealed for privacy "at this difficult time".
Mr Trickett, from Maidenhead, joined the Home Office's immigration enforcement team in February 2021 after working for the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport.
He was also the director of MTR Consultancy, a security firm formed in April 2021.
The case against Mr Trickett would be formally "discontinued", prosecutor Alistair Richardson told a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday.
The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because Mr Trickett's bail condition required him to regularly register at a police station.
The IOPC has assessed that referral and decided the matter should be investigated by TVP's professional standards department.