Hong Kong protests: student biting off part of policeman’s finger while being subdued ‘not a reflex action’
- Prosecution cites a psychiatrist’s assessment in maintaining that the bite was deliberate
- The incident in question took place during clashes between police and protesters at a Sha Tin shopping centre last year
A Hong Kong student accused of biting off part of a policeman’s finger has pleaded not guilty to assault charges, as prosecutors on Monday argued the bite was a deliberate act rather than a reflexive response.
Psychiatrists for the prosecution have concluded that the alleged bite was not a reflexive response to shock or pain, but a voluntary movement, and noted that To had no symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.
The alleged assault at New Town Plaza came after To dropped an umbrella from a height and used another to assault two police officers, all of which was captured on camera, according to assistant director of public prosecutions Christal Chan Shuk-yi.
On Monday, To pleaded not guilty to four counts: disorderly conduct in a public place, assaulting a police officer, inflicting grievous bodily harm and wounding with intent.
Prosecutors at his trial on Monday said the case timeline began at about 9.40pm, when hundreds of people gathered in the shopping centre, some of them assaulting the police officers on site by hurling objects at them, following major protests in Sha Tin earlier that day.
Chan observed that To was first seen at about 9.53pm, when he dropped an umbrella from level four and rushed down a nearby escalator to the lower floor.