Hong Kong protests: first aid volunteer cleared of rioting charge as judge rules helping the injured no ‘basis for conviction’
- Yeung Kwong-chi, 26, had a ‘reasonable excuse’ for his presence at the scene, District Judge Edmond Lee says
- Student Alice Tong, 22, was also acquitted on Monday; prosecutors had pursued convictions against both on the basis of their black attire and proximity to the riot
First aid volunteer Yeung Kwong-chi, 26, and university student Alice Tong Ka-yan, 22, were each acquitted on Monday of rioting in Wan Chai on the night of August 31, 2019, after an unauthorised rally on Hong Kong Island descended into violent stand-offs between protesters and police.
Yeung, who admitted to keeping a walkie-talkie without the necessary licence before the start of the trial, was fined HK$2,000 (US$257) for that infraction.
Tong, a second year law student at an overseas institution, was also cleared of a count of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place over a laser pointer found among her belongings, with the judge citing issues in the way police handled the evidence.
The two were among 22 people arrested during a riot on Hennessy Road at about 8pm, where hardcore protesters barricaded roads, set fires, shone laser lights at police and hurled objects at officers. The pair was caught in the vicinity of the illegal gathering following a chase.
Despite a lack of evidence showing the defendants’ involvement, the prosecution asked the court to convict them based on their black attire, as well as the time and location of their arrests.