Thames Valley Police have confirmed that the death of Matthew Trickett, an immigration officer accused of spying for the Hong Kong intelligence service, is not being treated as suspicious.
Matthew Trickett, 37, a former Royal Marine and private investigator, was found dead in Grenfell Park, Maidenhead, on Sunday afternoon after a report from a member of the public. Following a Home Office post-mortem completed on Wednesday, Thames Valley Police stated that his death is “not being treated as suspicious.
Trickett’s family is being supported by specialist officers, a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police said.
Trickett, who joined the Home Office’s immigration enforcement team in February 2021 after working for the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport, was also the director of MTR Consultancy, a security firm formed in April 2021.
He had appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week, accused of assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service and foreign interference. Trickett was charged alongside Chi (Peter) Leung Wai, 38, from Staines, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, from Hackney, east London.
Despite a prosecution request for him to be remanded in custody for his own welfare, Trickett was granted bail. Prosecutor Kashif Malik told the court that Trickett had attempted to take his own life after being charged.
Trickett was found dead on 19 May, four days after being granted bail. His family issued a statement saying, “We are mourning the loss of a much-loved son, brother, and family member,” and appealed for privacy “at this difficult time.
The case against Trickett will be formally discontinued, as confirmed by prosecutor Alistair Richardson at a hearing at the Old Bailey. Richardson also requested the formal revocation of Trickett’s electronic tag.
The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because Trickett’s bail conditions required him to regularly register at a police station. The IOPC has decided that the matter should be investigated by Thames Valley Police’s professional standards department.
