Hong Kong protests: 12-year-old sent to juvenile facility after admitting to tossing bamboo on MTR tracks and biting police officer

The Form One pupil, who cannot be sent to jail due to his age, bit the arresting officer’s right ring finger during what was described as a fierce struggle

Two co-defendants, aged 21 and 18, also pleaded guilty for actions during a November 11 anti-government protest that attempted to paralyse city traffic

Reading Time:2 minutes

A 12-year-old boy on Thursday admitted at Fanling Court that he bit a police officer who attempted to arrest him as he threw bamboo sticks onto railway tracks during a November 11 protest. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 10:32pm, 6 Aug 2020Updated: 5:57am, 7 Aug 2020

A 12-year-old boy has been remanded to a juvenile facility ahead of sentencing, after he admitted in court to throwing bamboo sticks onto railway tracks and biting a police officer during a citywide anti-government protest last year.

The Form One pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one of three who pleaded guilty to charges tied to a demonstration on November 11, when protesters called for a citywide strike and disrupted traffic across the city.

Fanling Court on Thursday heard the boy joined some 10 protesters in an attempt to paralyse train services on the MTR East Rail Line by throwing bamboo sticks on the tracks between Tai Po Market and University stations at 4am.

Anti-government protesters set up roadblocks to disrupt traffic outside Chinese University in Sha Tin during an attempted citywide strike on November 11. Photo: Felix Wong

Police later seized 59 sticks from the tracks, and found another 48 left unused on the roadside.

The boy was said to have had a fierce struggle with the arresting officer, biting his right ring finger before he was subdued. Two co-defendants – university students Lo Pui-yiu and Ng Wai-ho, aged 21 and 18, respectively, – were also arrested by police in the vicinity.

On Thursday, the trio pleaded guilty to one joint count of endangering the safety of others. Lo and the boy also respectively pleaded guilty to resisting and assaulting a police officer.