Hong Kong protests: China flag desecrator faces jail after court rejects defence he was affected by behavioural condition
- District Court finds Wong Cheuk-lai, 24, guilty of criminal damage, desecrating the national flag, attempted arson and arson
- Wong was among the thousands who answered calls to ‘stress test’ Hong Kong airport in September 2019 and descended on the area
Wong Cheuk-lai, 24, faces jail for spray-painting a security camera and tearing down the Chinese flag raised at Tung Chung Swimming Pool on September 1, when large numbers of protesters answered online calls to “stress test” Hong Kong International Airport and gathered in the area.
The flag was later passed on to other protesters who stuffed it into a rubbish bin before taking it out to wipe the container and two ash trays. It was then dumped onto the ground and set on fire.
Imprisonment is the only sentencing option
In the same afternoon, Wong doused flammable liquid over a nearby roadblock in an apparent attempt to set it on fire but walked away without lighting it. He did, however, succeed in lighting up a water-filled barrier belonging to Hip Hing Construction that evening.
When Wong was arrested five days later, he identified himself as the blond-haired man caught on footage of the incidents and admitted dismantling the flag after seeing others do so, but denied burning the item.
His lawyers later argued that such statements were made involuntarily under police threats and that he lacked the requisite criminal intent to commit the crime because he was influenced by ADHD at the material time.
The claim was backed by a defence psychiatrist, Dr Willy Wong Chung-hin, who was of the opinion that Wong would be easily excited, impulsive and lacking in self control because of his condition.