Blame it on the pepper spray: Occupy protester tells Hong Kong court water that hit police was meant to rinse others
A therapist was accused of spilling water on a policeman a day before last year's Occupy protests went into full swing, but the defendant claimed he was only helping fellow protesters rinse off pepper spray residue, a court heard yesterday.
Police sergeant Leung Ka-yan told Eastern Court that Chau Kwan-ting, 29, splashed water on him from a bottle in the early hours of September 27 last year, shortly after a group of protesters stormed into the outer compound of government headquarters in Admiralty.
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The incident also happened a day before police fired rounds of teargas to disperse protesters.
Leung said that Chau, facing a charge of common assault, was among a group of at least 10 "emotional" protesters when he released water from a bottle in an upward motion outside a Legislative Council entrance.
The water that Chau was accused of spilling hit the sergeant's face and uniform, Leung said.
But Chau denied the charge, testifying: "I noticed there was a girl in front of me with some pepper spray in her hair."
Chau said he was in the third row among protesters during a chaotic rally and tried to help a coughing girl ahead of him by splashing her with water.
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He denied deliberately splashing water on any officers.
Leung's colleague, constable Wong Chun-yip, said he saw the defendant hold up a water bottle and unleash water in a downward motion.
Under cross-examination, Chau claimed he planned to pick up water bottles near a roundabout on Tim Mei Avenue and use them to attend to protesters hit by pepper spray.
But prosecutor David Chan asked Chau why he did not bring the bottles he picked up to the location of the incident.
The therapist said there were already bottles outside Legco, but did not give details of the girl he claimed was standing in front of him until he was later re-examined by his barrister, Kevin Hon.
Hon and Chan will make submissions on October 15.
