Hong Kong protests: trio admits rioting inside shopping centre during last year’s unrest
- Two police officers suffer injuries during the protest chaos, one with ongoing vision damage and the other requiring stitches to his head
- Defendants were part of a mob that set upon officers in a Sha Tin shopping mall last July following an anti-government rally
The District Court heard Detective Constable Cheung Lik-hang was on his way to help an assaulted colleague in Sha Tin’s New Town Plaza on July 14, 2019, when he was attacked by more than 20 hardcore protesters who kicked, punched and used hard objects such as umbrellas on him, until reinforcements arrived a minute later.
Two of the assailants then joined another gang of about 10 radical protesters in a minute-long attack on a second constable, Andy Kwok Siu-hang, who fell from a nearby escalator while being chased from the upper floor.
Both officers suffered injuries, with Cheung still having eye damage that required constant pain medication and regular check-ups, while Kwok has recovered after receiving three stitches on his scalp.
The violence followed an afternoon rally through the centre of Sha Tin, attended by tens of thousands of people demanding the full withdrawal of the extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be transferred for trial to mainland China and other jurisdictions the city lacks such a deal with. The bill was eventually shelved in September.
On Friday, security personnel Kung Chi-yuen, 51, and Leung Pak-tim, 24, who is unemployed, each pleaded guilty to two counts of rioting, while student Lee Man-him, 17, admitted one count of the same charge.
The offence is punishable by 10 years’ imprisonment but capped at seven when the case is heard at the District Court.
Two other charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent were left on file after all three defendants pleaded not guilty.
