Hong Kong singer jailed for more than 2 years over social media posts insulting police, officials and laundering HK$718,788 raised by fake story about protester facing riot trial

Tommy Yuen, ex-member of boy band E-kids, admits selling fruit, concert tickets and biscuits purportedly baked by teenage girl on pretext of supporting fictitious character

Judge says disgraced artist intended to paralyse society and promote Hong Kong independence

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Tommy Yuen, ex-member of boy band E-kids. Photo: Tommy Yuen/Facebook

Published: 2:13pm, 31 Aug 2023Updated: 4:21pm, 31 Aug 2023

A Hong Kong singer has received more than two years in jail for insulting police and officials on social media and laundering HK$718,788 (US$91,600) raised by fabricating a story about a teenager facing a riot trial over her involvement in the 2019 anti-government protests.

The District Court on Thursday also ordered the confiscation of HK$376,370 from Tommy Yuen Man-on, the remainder of the amount he had secured under false pretences.

Judge Ernest Michael Lin Kam-hung said the disgraced artist and father of two had intended to paralyse society and promote Hong Kong independence with his remarks on social media.

Tommy Yuen arrives at West Kowloon Court. Photo: Handout

“The purpose of his messages was to reignite the dissatisfaction and anxiety in society that have already subsided,” said Lin, who was approved by city leader John Lee Ka-chiu to hear the case. “He did so for his own benefits at the expense of social harmony.”

The judge sentenced Yuen to two years and two months in jail for acting with seditious intent and money laundering, after reducing the overall starting point of 39 months by one-third to reflect his timely guilty plea.

He said the case was close to being a serious one if it was assessed using guidelines for the similar offence of inciting secession under the Beijing-decreed national security law, where a grave transgression would warrant a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment.

Lin also described Yuen as an emotional blackmailer, saying he had capitalised on people’s sympathy for those arrested in the 2019 unrest in a mercenary scheme that was also intended to promote himself.

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