Chinese MI6 informant gave information to MPs about Huawei threat

A Chinese informant for MI6, now serving a life sentence for murder in a British jail, has given information about the telecommunications company Huawei to the parliamentary intelligence and security committee (ISC), the Guardian has learned.

Huawei has previously said it had never engaged in espionage or allowed its technology to be knowingly hacked by the Chinese state.

Chappelow, an 86-year-old author and photographer, was found dead in his home in Hampstead, north London in 2006, after police had been alerted by his bank following suspicious transactions. Use of his stolen credit cards was traced to Wang Yam, who lived nearby and was later arrested in Switzerland.

His initial Old Bailey trial in 2008 was held under unprecedented levels of secrecy for a murder case. Journalists were not allowed to attend court to hear the defence.

The prosecution suggested that Yam was confronted by Chappelow as he stole letters and bank information from his post box before entering his house and killing him. Yam was convicted of theft and fraud but the jury could not reach a decision on the murder charge. At a second trial, he was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 20 years.

Despite the new evidence, which his lawyers argued would have almost certainly led to an acquittal at his original trial, the appeal was turned down. There is now a possibility that fresh developments in DNA testing could assist in a further appeal. There are also plans for a film, according to Thomas Harding, author of the prize-winning book on the case, Blood on the Page.