Hong Kong secondary school pupil wins appeal against conviction for possession of imitation firearm near legislature

Lau Hong, 17, earlier received an 18-month probation order after being found with an air pistol near Legco in December 2017 during a protest

High Court judge overturns conviction, saying magistrate’s ruling was disconcerting

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Lau Hong leaves court after having his conviction overturned. Photo: Chris Lau

Published: 7:19pm, 4 Jul 2019Updated: 11:28pm, 4 Jul 2019

A pro-independence secondary school student who was found guilty of carrying an air pistol near Hong Kong’s legislature during a contentious debate two years ago won his appeal against his conviction on Thursday.

Lau Hong, 17, was earlier convicted of possessing an imitation firearm and handed an 18-month probation order by Eastern Court.

In August last year, trial magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han found that Lau, a Secondary Five pupil at the time, carried an eight-inch air pistol for the purpose of committing a crime when he was intercepted by police on December 12, 2017.

But High Court judge Mr Justice Albert Wong Sung-hau, who heard his appeal, overturned the conviction, saying the lower court’s ruling was disconcerting.

Lau’s conviction was overturned in the High Court. Photo: SCMP

“It prompted one to question the safety of the conviction,” he said in a written judgment.

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