Hong Kong protests: court cites tough new guidelines in giving transport worker 7 months’ jail for illegal assembly, assault
- Magistrate says ‘substantial’ sentence was necessary, noting recent Court of Appeal rulings that have upped jail terms for even non-violent assemblies
- Cheung Chin-man, 36, was arrested at a November 2019 protest in Central, where he attempted to kick an officer in the abdomen before being subdued
A Hong Kong transport worker has been jailed for seven months over an illegal assembly and assault on a police sergeant in a 2019 protest, with the presiding magistrate citing tough new sentencing guidelines by the Court of Appeal.
Cheung was among 100 protesters who gathered on the podium of Exchange Square in Central on November 13, 2019 – the third day of a strike that paralysed the city.
The court heard protesters became emotional after police subdued two people, tackling them to the ground. They then surrounded 10 officers in the area, hurling abuse at police and pelting them with small items.
The 36-year-old defendant was said to have confronted the officers, only to be subdued himself while unsuccessfully attempting to kick a sergeant in the abdomen.
