A father of abode seekers was convicted yesterday for causing a public nuisance in a June protest in which he climbed onto the roof of a footbridge in Wan Chai, disrupting traffic for eight hours.
Chu Kwok-yin, 59, had pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a charge of causing a public nuisance. He was one of the protesters who scaled the footbridge on June 12, demanding their children be allowed to live in Hong Kong. During the incident, dozens of protesters - mainly parents of abode seekers - marched from Wan Chai to Central.
At 4pm, the four men were seen standing on the roof of a footbridge across Hennessy Road near Arsenal Road holding up a banner. Police cordoned off the area until the protesters came down. Traffic was delayed for more than eight hours.
Delivering his verdict, Magistrate William Ng Shing-wai said evidence showed that Chu knew his act had resulted in serious traffic congestion. Mr Ng will hear mitigation from Chu on Tuesday in Eastern Court.
The other three protesters, Tse Ka-kei, 58, Lau Kak-man, 64, and Mau Yuk-nga, 61, pleaded guilty on Wednesday. But Lau reversed his plea yesterday.
Tse will provide mitigation in his case today, while Mau faces sentencing on December 14, pending a community service order report.
