Surveyor Li Tsz-yin, 31, appeared before judge Cheang Kei-hong in District Court this morning and pleaded guilty to rioting on Queensway and assaulting a police officer outside Pacific Place in Admiralty on September 29, 2019.

Li was jailed for seven months by Yantian People's Court in Shenzhen in 2020 for trespassing the borders. He finished his sentence on the mainland and was extradited to Hong Kong in March last year.

Cheang slammed Li hitting the officer's head with a brick four times as a vicious and brutal crime and it was lucky that the officer was wearing a helmet at that time, which protected him from the blow.

Cheang noted the items Li brought to the protest, including binoculars, packing tape and iron rods, and said Li was well-prepared. Li was dressed in all black as well to cover his identity so as to sidestep legal consequences, the judge added.

Although the protest took place on a Saturday, Li alongside hundreds of other protesters rioted near offices and commercial buildings where financial businesses were based and hurt the city's security and international reputation.

Also, protesters lobbing Molotov cocktails and bricks affected traffics, threatened police officers' safety and damaged the environment, according to Cheang.

Cheang said Li's crimes would not be tolerated and the court must protect front line officers' safety and hand down a sentence with deterrent effect.

Cheang started Li's jail terms at four years and nine months for rioting and one year for assaulting the officer. The jail terms were reduced by one-third after Li pleaded guilty and Cheang ordered Li to serve four months of his terms consecutively, resulting in a three-and-a-half year imprisonment.