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Hong Kong localist Edward Leung may face retrial over Mong Kok riot charge that split jury
High Court jury had been unable to reach verdict on one count of rioting faced by former Hong Kong Indigenous spokesman and two others
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Hong Kong localist Edward Leung Tin-kei may face a retrial over the Mong Kok unrest in 2016 as prosecutors have decided to pursue a rioting charge that divided the jury last month.
“The Department of Justice has informed the court of our intention to apply for a retrial,” a spokesman for the prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The former spokesman for Hong Kong Indigenous, a radical pro-independence group, was found guilty of one count of rioting, for which he faces up to 10 years in prison, but cleared of incitement following a 54-day High Court trial before a nine-member jury.
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However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on one more count of rioting faced by Leung, 26, and two other defendants, Lee Nok-man, 21, and Lam Ngo-hin, 23.
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The charge against the trio centred on trouble that took place at Portland Street, Mong Kok from February 8 to 9, 2016, when the crowds clashed with officers after a hawker control operation turned ugly. The jury returned a split verdict of 6-3 despite three days of deliberation.
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