Former Hong Kong civil servant shown mercy after disrupting national security, protest trials

Ex-trade officer Walter So admits disrupting court cases when he challenged judges’ decisions on unacceptable clothing at four sittings in December 2021

Judge imposes suspended sentence after considering ‘strong mitigating factors’ such as So’s recurrent depression and worsening skin condition

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Ex-civil servant Walter So leaves the High Court after he is shown mercy after admitting contempt of court charges. Photo: Brian Wong

Published: 9:41pm, 26 Jul 2023Updated: 10:05pm, 26 Jul 2023

A former Hong Kong civil servant has received a suspended jail sentence for contempt of court after he disrupted legal proceedings connected to the 2019 anti-government protests and the national security law.

Ex-trade officer Walter So Yat-kai on Wednesday admitted he had interfered with the running of the court when he challenged judges’ decisions on unacceptable attire during four sittings in December 2021.

The High Court heard the 53-year-old, who has a history of mental illness, caused disturbances at two sessions after he was told to remove a black hoodie with a yellow umbrella image on it, a protest symbol that sprang from the 2014 Occupy movement.

So quarrelled with the bench on two other occasions when he was asked to confirm whether he was medically eligible to wear a cap while in the court’s public gallery.

A former civil servant is given a suspended prison sentence for contempt of court during national security and 2019 protest trials. Photo: Warton Li

Mr Justice Anthony Chan Kin-keung jailed So for two months but suspended the term for two years in light of his good background, mental illness and low chance of reoffending.