Hong Kong protests: first person prosecuted over Prince Edward MTR Station chaos jailed for a year for possession of weapons and unlicensed radio gear

Chung Yat-ki, 33, was caught with a catapult, a bag of screw caps, a laser pointer and two sets of radio transceivers on station platform

Defendant’s brother testified that the weapons and transceivers were work-related – a claim the magistrate rejected as untruthful

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Police officers use pepper spray in a train carriage at a platform of the station. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:50pm, 14 Aug 2020Updated: 11:39pm, 14 Aug 2020

The first person to be prosecuted over violence in Prince Edward MTR Station during the social unrest in Hong Kong last year has been jailed for 12 months for possession of offensive weapons and unlicensed radio equipment.

Kowloon City Court sentenced Chung Yat-ki, 33, to prison for carrying a catapult, a bag of screw caps, a laser pointer and two sets of radio transceivers to a railway platform on the night of August 31, when radical anti-government protesters clashed with riot police, who stormed into the underground station to make arrests.

The clerk was convicted of one count of possessing offensive weapons in a public place, and one of possessing apparatus for radiocommunications without a licence, after Magistrate Andy Cheng Lim-chi dismissed claims the seized items were for work. He also fined Chung HK$5,000 over the licence charge.

While ruling Chung had stayed inside the paid area of the station for a purpose – rather than changing trains as claimed by his brother – the magistrate said he could not conclude the defendant had planned to fight police with the weapons.

Police stand guard outside Prince Edward MTR Station on August 31. Photo: AP

“Although there was no evidence to show the offensive weapons were related to the clashes at Prince Edward station, possessing the weapons alone already constitutes a very serious offence,” Cheng said.