MI5 said Birmingham-based lawyer Christine Lee had sought to influence parliamentarians on behalf of China’s ruling Communist Party - BirminghamLive tried to track her down six months after the extraordinary allegations surfaced

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Holloway Head is loud on a Wednesday morning. Cars thunder past as building works on high-rise luxury apartments crash overhead.

But one person yet to make any noise is Christine Lee, the Birmingham-based lawyer outed by MI5 as an alleged 'Chinese spy'. Blink and you'd miss the law firm which bears her name - Christine Lee & Co Solicitors.

Situated beside a gym and Chinese supermarket against a backdrop of graffiti, you wouldn't think these offices form part of an alleged spying plot likened to a John Le Carre novel. But six months have passed since the city was rocked by extraordinary allegations that Ms Lee sought to influence MPs on behalf of China’s ruling regime.

READ MORE: Birmingham lawyer Christine Lee steps back from companies after MI5 ‘Chinese spy’ allegations

It is important to stress there is no suggestion of any criminal wrongdoing by Ms Lee or her family. There have been no arrests and a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman previously accused the UK Government of being "too obsessed with James Bond 007 movies".

Over the past week, we have attempted to track down Ms Lee to hear her side of the story.

Embedded in the Birmingham business community for the best part of 30 years, Ms Lee was the subject of a rare MI5 alert in January which stated she had been engaged in "political interference activities" on behalf of China's communist regime. Full name Christine Ching Kui Lee, she reportedly sought to "improperly influence" parliamentarians on behalf of the country's Communist Party.

The immigration lawyer donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the office of Labour MP Barry Gardiner, a former shadow cabinet member who employed her son. She also sent money to Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey's office in 2013.

She has now stepped down from a slew of Birmingham-based companies including her law firm and Cathay properties limited, which is headquartered in the same building. The eyes of the world have moved on and there has been no sign of Ms Lee since the shocking MI5 alert.

With Birmingham gripped by a heatwave, we visited businesses on Holloway Head, the road which houses Ms Lee's law firm. While we were told people there knew each other, nobody seemed to know much about the Chinese law firm.

One local business said: "I think we did some [work] for them once. I just know the name but I don't know anything else.

"We just knew there is solicitors there and the lady who owns it is called Christine Lee. I never even connected it when it all blew up earlier this year until the Daily Mail came in."

Talking about the area more generally, the tradesperson joked: "I can tell you a few stories about Holloway Head but don't really want it to go in the Mail. If you are driving [down] at night drive fast."

Garry Chapman, a partner in a nearby music shop, also spoke about the stretch: "It's not like a massive hub but you will see people walking past during the day when they are visiting the Bull Ring. That restaurant has only just reopened. I personally think I have only just seen the doors open in the last six months. It's normally evening time you see a couple of people queuing up."

The restaurant Mr Chapman is referring to shares a building with Ms Lee's law firm. In 2006, the solicitor posed for our photographer outside the eatery but it is not clear if she has any involvement today.

Noise from a neighbouring tyre shop punctuates the air as the heat blazes down on the city. Asked about the area, another local employee said: "There's weird stuff. There was that brothel around here. They found a weed farm at the back of it. It's a busy road."

Later, our attempts to speak to Ms Lee at the offices were declined by staff. It's not clear if she is still involved in the company which bears her name.

A neighbour near a property in Coleshill formerly listed as her correspondence address on Companies House claimed it had since been sold with a new family moving in.

The local resident said: "We were really shocked. We never really saw anybody. We used to see a guy, sort of Malaysian looking, but I don't know if there was a cleaner or something. We never really saw her but we heard they were going back to London because the family were there."

Asked about local reaction when the news broke, the neighbour added: "We were away but people were talking about it. They were absolutely shocked. We know the people that are in there now. The house was sold. She's been gone for a few years."

Later, we visited the affluent Solihull road where it is believed Lee has a home. It's now hard to picture the media scrum that descended as Solihull became a place of national focus six months ago.

The quiet road has all the hallmarks of a well-heeled area. Manicured lawns, tall imposing gates and doorbells with cameras sit on the leafy lane - just five minutes from Solihull town centre.

The security car once stationed outside the property has gone. When asked if we could speak to the occupant, a male voice told us: "No, sorry."

Neighbours recalled the day the allegations surfaced, but none could remember having anything to do with Ms Lee. One told us: "Until there were journalists we didn't even know about it."

The Chinese Embassy in London previously said: "China always adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. We have no need and never seek to 'buy influence' in any foreign parliament."

A spokesperson for the Home Office added: "Unfortunately we’re not able to comment on the detail of security or intelligence."

While there is no suggestion of any criminal wrongdoing by Ms Lee or her family, questions still remain over the MI5 alert. And six months on, mystery lingers around the woman at its centre.

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