Hong Kong construction worker gets 7 years in jail for attempting to snatch officer’s shotgun
- The attempted theft took place after the officer was knocked down by a flying kick during a protest in Mong Kok in 2019
- Judge says that given the nature of the offence, even the toughest penalty she could hand down would be insufficient
A Hong Kong construction worker has been jailed for seven years for attempting to snatch an officer’s shotgun after the latter was knocked to the ground by a flying kick during an anti-government protest two years ago.
The 31-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to taking part in an unlawful assembly and assaulting an officer during the demonstration in Mong Kok on October 13, 2019, but denied trying to steal the policeman’s Remington shotgun outside the Grand Plaza shopping centre that afternoon. He was convicted in August of attempted robbery after a trial.
Passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching said the violent nature of the attempted robbery, the defendant’s targeting of a police officer and his attempt to snatch away a lethal weapon meant that even the toughest penalty she could hand down would be insufficient.
She also sentenced Tse’s co-defendant, 19-year-old student Chan Ka-chun, to up to nine months of correctional training for resisting a police officer in the same demonstration, after finding the young defendant needed more discipline.
In a widely circulated video, the officer in question, identified in court only as X, could be seen trying to detain Chan, who was being helped by an unidentified woman.
As the policeman grappled with the pair, a black-clad man leapt into the frame, landing a flying kick to the officer’s chest and knocking him to the ground.
Tse, who was nearby, could then be seen charging at the officer and punching him in the head three times, before appearing to attempt to grab his weapon.