Hong Kong protests: five Chinese University students charged with rioting over Monday’s disturbance on Sha Tin campus
- One defendant unable to attend court hearing as he was still in Prince of Wales Hospital, while two others showed up with apparent injuries
- All five accused of taking part in a riot in the vicinity of Postgraduate Hall near No 2 bridge at the university
Four young Chinese University students charged with rioting over the protests on school campus on Monday have been granted bail while one of their co-defendants remained in hospital.
The three men and one woman, aged from 18 to 21, were on Wednesday taken to Sha Tin Court, where more than a hundred people, many of them young students, gathered in support as confrontations continued on the university campus.
One defendant Hui Yi-chuen, 20, entered the dock with a large cotton gauze wrapped around his head, while Chan Lik-sik, 18, had a purplish bruise on his left cheekbone.
Their co-defendant Lau Chun-yuk, 21, did not show up as he remained in Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin. But his defence counsel Norris Chan Chin-chung revealed he could be discharged by Wednesday afternoon.
The defendants apprehended on school campus were among 287 people arrested on Monday.
A police spokesman said these defendants were arrested during a clearance operation following repeated warnings against protesters throwing stones and petrol bombs at officers below the bridge.
All five defendants were charged with one joint count of rioting and accused of taking part in a riot with unknown others in the vicinity of Postgraduate Hall near No 2 bridge at the university.
They were also charged with covering their faces during an unlawful assembly.
Foo Hoi-ching, 21, and Hui were each further charged with one count of possession of an offensive weapon or other instrument fit for unlawful purpose.
The former was accused of carrying a screwdriver and a hammer head, while her co-defendant was said to have brought a spanner.
None of them were required to enter a plea after Senior Public Prosecutor Andy Lo Tin-wai asked for more time to allow investigators to review security camera footage and interview witnesses.
Acting principal magistrate Ko Wai-hung adjourned the case to January 8 next year and released the four defendants on HK$5,000 bail each, with the condition that they obey a curfew, remain in Hong Kong and report to police at least three times a week.
Their co-defendant Lau was expected to appear in court earliest on Wednesday afternoon.
The Post learned Hui had sustained his injuries during arrest, when he was allegedly struck in the head by a stick-like object, requiring four stitches. Hui also complained that he was struck twice in the back.
Rioting is punishable in Hong Kong by 10 years’ imprisonment.
Meanwhile, at Eastern Court, five protesters, aged between 17 and 33, were charged over the protest that lasted between Monday and the early morning of Tuesday, with charges ranging from assaulting a police officer to possessing offensive weapons.
They included transportation worker Qin Qiang, 22, a Chinese two-way entry permit holder. He was charged with possessing an identity card of another person and possessing arms without licence for carrying a bottle of pepper spray in Central at 1am on Tuesday.
Principal magistrate Bina Chainrai denied Qin bail but granted cash bail to four others varying between HK$1,000 and HK$10,000.
Maggie Ma Lai-nga, 17, who was charged with possessing a box cutter in Causeway Bay on Monday, is scheduled to appear in court on Friday as she is still hospitalised.
Separately in the same courtroom, decoration worker Yeung Tsz-yeung, 29, pleaded guilty to criminal damage after he glued a keyhole and sprayed black paint on the front door of a restaurant on Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun on August 5, the day the first citywide strike in relation to the recent civil unrest took place.
His lawyer told Chainrai that Yeung vandalised Ka Kee restaurant because he wanted to assist the protesters, despite not knowing the restaurant owner.
Chainrai will sentence Yeung on December 4, awaiting a probation officer report.
Additional reporting by Brian Wong
