# Ex-Marine Charged With Spying Found Dead After Bail Release Inquest reveals Matthew Trickett warned police of self-harm intentions before his death. - **Source:** [BBC News – England](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england) - **Published:** 2026-11-10 - **Topic:** [politics](https://brifing.si/c/politics) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/adba2ce0-e15a-4a7f-860b-5b0750efb796 ## Inquest Into Marine's Death Matthew Trickett, a 37-year-old former Royal Marine and Home Office immigration officer, was found dead in a Maidenhead park on May 19, 2024. His death occurred shortly after he was charged under the National Security Act for allegedly assisting Hong Kong intelligence services. An inquest is currently examining the circumstances surrounding his passing. ## Prior Warnings of Self-Harm During the inquest, custody sergeant Del May testified that Trickett had attempted self-harm while in a police cell on May 11. Trickett reportedly told the officer he would not harm himself while in custody, but intended to do so upon release. Despite these explicit warnings, he was granted bail two days later. ## Medical Assessment and Bail Doctors monitoring Trickett observed fluctuations in his mood during his detention. They attributed his improved mental state to the administration of testosterone, which he had been receiving prior to his arrest. Based on these medical evaluations, authorities granted him bail, despite the earlier concerns raised by police regarding his potential self-harm. ## Failed Monitoring and Discovery Contractor Serco was tasked with fitting an electronic tag to ensure Trickett complied with his bail conditions. On May 19, Serco informed Thames Valley Police that they could not monitor him. Officers attempted to arrest him, but he was later discovered dead in Grenfell Park by a member of the public. ## Espionage Investigation Context Trickett was charged alongside two other individuals, Chi Leung Peter Wai and Chung Biu Bill Yuen, for conducting shadow policing operations. These activities were allegedly performed on behalf of Hong Kong authorities and the Chinese state. The co-defendants were subsequently sentenced to prison terms of ten and eight years respectively in June. ## Surveillance of Dissidents The investigation revealed that Trickett was drawn into surveillance operations by co-defendant Wai. Specifically, in 2023, Trickett was tasked with arranging surveillance on high-profile Hong Kong activist Nathan Law. This occurred while Law was scheduled to speak at the Oxford Union student society, highlighting the scope of the alleged foreign intelligence activity. ## Background and Family Statement Trickett’s family described him as a proud former Royal Marine who served in locations including the Arctic, Brunei, and Afghanistan. Since 2013, he had worked in the security sector, providing services to Middle Eastern royal families. His family noted he was well-loved by colleagues but could sometimes be slightly naive. ## Ongoing Legal Proceedings The inquest at Reading Coroner's Court is scheduled to continue until November 18. This process aims to clarify the timeline of events leading to Trickett's death and evaluate the decision-making process regarding his bail. The proceedings remain a significant development in the broader investigation into foreign intelligence operations within the United Kingdom. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjqlnln57150o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._