Hong Kong protests: man gets nearly 4 years’ jail for rioting after judge praises ‘wise’ decision to plead guilty

Li Chak-lam, 34, was applauded by a District Court judge on Monday for his “wise” decision to plead guilty to the offence that stemmed from the August 5 chaos, where an approved assembly in eastern Kowloon descended into clashes between protesters and police.

The defendant, now unemployed, was said to have hurled objects including a helmet, an umbrella and a tear-gas canister at officers, after some 170 protesters blocked a thoroughfare with steel fences, plastic tape and rubbish bins in the afternoon.

He initially denied one count of rioting, but opted to plead guilty just before the trial was slated to start last Thursday. On Monday, District Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi jailed Li for 45 months, saying: “The defendant was arrested at the scene, and together with the video evidence, it can be said the evidence was irrefutable.”

The judge added: “Even though the defendant did not plead guilty at the first opportunity, it was wise of him to plead guilty now so that he could be entitled to a partial reduction in sentence, lessen his ordeal in jail and be able to reunite with his family earlier.”

Hong Kong was rocked by a citywide strike on August 5, 2019, marking the third day of intense stand-offs between protesters and police as the former continued to press the government to fully withdraw an extradition bill, which sparked the initial unrest in June and had been shelved at the time, and probe police actions over the handling of demonstrations that year.

The trouble in the present case followed an approved meeting at Wong Tai Sin Plaza. The court heard that at around 3pm, some of the participants, most of whom were clad in black, suddenly occupied the nearby Lung Cheong Road and brought traffic to a halt.