A former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong has complained to Ofcom over a confession he claims he was forced to make which was then aired in the UK by the Chinese state broadcaster’s international arm.

Simon Cheng was detained in Shenzhen, mainland China, for two weeks in August after a one-day visit and claims he was beaten and interrogated by police after he attempted to return to Hong Kong.

Chinese police claim Cheng was placed in administrative detention for allegedly soliciting prostitutes, allegations that he denies. Cheng said police had in fact quizzed him about the UK’s role in the Hong Kong “riots”.