Hong Kong protests: man gets 3 years’ jail for rioting and flouting government ban on masks in charges tied to assault on taxi driver
- The human resources manager was among 20 vigilantes who attacked taxi driver whose vehicle ran into demonstrators during anti-government protest
- Judge says he was left speechless by the “merciless” attack on the driver, who spent five days in hospital
A human resources manager has been jailed for three years for rioting and flouting a government ban on wearing masks in public, after he assaulted a taxi driver whose vehicle ran into a crowd of demonstrators during an anti-government protest in Hong Kong more than two years ago.
Cheung Tsz-lung, who works at an accounting firm, pleaded guilty at the District Court on Tuesday to two charges stemming from his involvement in the act of vigilantism in Sham Shui Po on October 6, 2019.
The 34-year-old initially faced three joint charges, rioting, wounding with intent and using a facial covering at an unlawful assembly, alongside co-defendant Chung Wing-yee, a 25-year-old teacher who initially denied the allegations.
But the prosecution applied to drop the charges against Chung after learning she had died before her case could go to trial. The prosecution dropped the wounding with intent charge against Cheung on the condition that he pleaded guilty to the other two charges.
Prosecutor Edward Lau Wan-cheung said an investigation was under way to see if an inquest was needed to examine the circumstances of her death.
Taxi driver beaten by mob gives account of crashing into crowd of protesters
The court heard Cheung was among 20 vigilantes who attacked taxi driver Henry Cheng Kwok-chuen after his vehicle ran into the pedestrian walkway of Yen Chow Street at around 5pm that day.
Cheng was the intended defendant of a rare private prosecution lodged by fugitive former opposition lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, who accused him of dangerous driving and severely injuring several passers-by.
A magistrate allowed Hui to initiate proceedings against Cheng in June 2020 before the legal bid was thrown out two months later by another magistrate, who agreed with the Department of Justice that there was not enough evidence to convict. Hui fled overseas in November 2020 while out on bail awaiting trial on charges relating to other cases.
According to prosecutors, Cheng was driving his taxi to his company’s garage in Tsuen Wan, when he found himself besieged by hundreds of masked protesters who swore at him and defaced his vehicle with umbrellas and iron rods.
“Mr Cheng was assailed and could not control his taxi, so the car lost control and ran into the walkway. Two women on the path were knocked over by the taxi and sustained injuries,” Lau said in Tuesday’s court session.
The crash further infuriated the already frantic crowd, the prosecutor said. Some pulled the driver out and attacked him with bare fists or hard objects such as hammers and metal poles, with others poured bleach on his blood-drenched body.
Taxi driver beaten by mob denies he was paid to ram car into protesters
Cheng ended up spending five days in hospital while being treated for bone fractures and bruises. He also lost HK$23,000 (US$2,930) and a watch worth HK$140,000 in the incident, with his HK$160,000 taxi damaged beyond repair.
Cheung, the human resources manager, admitted to kicking Cheng and swinging a rod-shaped object on his body twice. His acts were captured on media footage.
Judge Clement Lee Hing-nin said he was left speechless by the “merciless” attack on the driver. He also found it “unfortunate” for a well-educated person such as Cheung to be overwhelmed by emotion and commit serious offences.
He jailed Cheung for three years for rioting and two months for flouting the mask ban, before ordering both terms to be served concurrently.
