Boy, 12, is youngest to be convicted over Hong Kong protests since they erupted in June
- Pupil admits vandalising police station and MTR interchange on October 3
- Lawyer pleads for leniency on account of schoolboy’s age ahead of sentencing next month
A 12-year-old boy became the youngest protester to be convicted over the civil unrest that broke out in June when he pleaded guilty on Thursday to vandalising a police station and railway interchange last month.
The lawyer of the Form Two pupil asked the court to give the minor a second chance, saying he was remorseful since being charged and only acted on impulse at the time of the offences, which involved spraying obscene graffiti.
The student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted two counts of criminal damage at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court for vandalising Mong Kok Police Station and an exit at Prince Edward MTR station on October 3.
In mitigation, his lawyer told magistrate Edward Wong Ching-yu the boy was so remorseful he only left his home to attend school after his arrest, and had not played basketball or practised dragon dance since.
“He knows he made a serious mistake,” said defence counsel Jacqueline Lam, who asked the court to pass a sentence that would not leave someone so young with a criminal record.