Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 31, 2023

Hong Kong protests: student convicted of rioting at PolyU spared jail

Hong Kong protests: student convicted of rioting at PolyU spared jail

Design school student Lee Ka-hei, 20, was the first person at university campus during siege to be found guilty of rioting.

A judge has decided against jail time for a student convicted of rioting after she stayed at a Hong Kong university to show her support for anti-government protesters demonstrating nearby during the 2019 social unrest after the court accepted she was remorseful and had no plans to attack police.

Hong Kong Design Institute student Lee Ka-hei, 20, was sentenced at the District Court on Friday to three years’ detention at a training centre after she pleaded guilty to two counts of rioting in connection with the fierce stand-off near Polytechnic University in Hung Hom on November 17 and 18 that year.

Lee, who was 18 at the time of the offence, was one of more than 1,200 people arrested in the area during a police siege of the campus that came at the height of the anti-government protests.

The Polytechnic University siege in 2019.


While dozens of demonstrators have been convicted of rioting within the university’s vicinity, Lee was the first to be found guilty of the offence for being inside the institution.

The battle at PolyU followed a week of street violence, chaos and traffic disruption across Hong Kong, with thousands of protesters demanding accountability for what they said was an excessive use of force by police during the unrest.

A prosecution case summary said protesters occupied PolyU in an organised manner, with some barricading the university’s entrances and disabling its surveillance camera system, while others paralysed traffic outside the campus and attacked police with petrol bombs, bows and arrows, and other hard projectiles.

The court heard that those trapped inside the university had aided and abetted the violence outside by keeping an abundant supply of Molotov cocktails, handmade weapons and protective equipment.

Lee and 16 others attempted to escape the campus at 8am on November 18 via its main entrance on Cheong Wan Road, but were scooped up by police outside the nearby Hong Kong Science Museum less than 10 minutes later.

The 20-year-old wrote in a mitigation letter she had gone to the scene to provide company to “distressed and desperate” protesters as she believed her presence could help “heal their wounds”.

A probation officer suggested sending Lee to a training centre operated by correctional services rather than prison due to her low level of involvement and a lack of evidence she had done anything violent.

Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi accepted the recommendation, saying Lee became unfortunately embroiled in a “political storm” under the influence of media.

“I believe the defendant would be sadder but wiser, learning to obey the law, acquiring the ability to analyse so as not to be swayed by others, and would no longer be pushed to the front line by fanatics as cannon fodder in political storms over and over again,” Chan said.

“I believe the defendant is remorseful, and in the present political context, she can calmly observe how ugly politics is.”

The judge also urged authorities to consider making riot-related offences an exemption to a legal provision that spares young offenders jail time, saying it could maximise the court’s discretion in passing sentences.

Also at the District Court, nine people each received 3½ years in jail for rioting near government headquarters in Admiralty on September 29, 2019, with two others sentenced to detention in a training centre.

The seven men and four women, aged 19 to 29, were among 96 people facing rioting charges over the incident stemming from an unauthorised rally against “autocracy” on Hong Kong Island.

Judge Frankie Yiu Fun-che said the 11 defendants could be given lighter sentences due to their relatively minor roles in the riot, good backgrounds and mental stress they endured in the criminal proceedings that lasted nearly three years.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
Close
0:00
0:00
Don’t Dismiss China’s Peacemaking Bid
Austrian Parliament members walk out when Volodymyr Zelensky begins speaking.
Father obliterates council members following viral TikTok of biological male masturbating in women’s bathroom..
Tsai Ing-wen received a "warm welcome" from the Chinese people in the US.
EU's von der Leyen: "We know this is an era where we rely on one single supplier. China. 98% of our rare earth supply."
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
“We've had evidence prior to the pandemic that masks were largely ineffective at preventing community transmission of influenza “
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejects being labeled a "billionaire"
Jamie Dimon is being deposed over JPMorgan Chase role in Epstein lawsuits
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
Social Media censoring users for saying the true
Smart Iranian fashion designer teaching dummy TV anchors lesson about reality
AMERICA, 2023
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
Singapore’s Prime Minister says China and US need to stabilize relations because world can't afford a confict between the two superpowers
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Reform Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Bordeaux town hall set on fire in France pro democracy protest
Police violence in Paris
Paris: Some of the police are stepping down and showing solidarity with the protesters.
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
The US government has charged Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with leading a $1 billion fraud scheme that cheated thousands of followers out of their money.
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
The BBC problem about China
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
×