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.
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.