Hong Kong protester jailed for 4 years for rioting, perverting course of justice after skipping bail on charges related to 2019 unrest

A Hong Kong protester has been sentenced to four years in jail for rioting and perverting the course of justice, after he skipped bail on charges related to the 2019 unrest and hid from police for almost 17 months.

Deputy Judge Norton Pang Leung-ting on Monday said he did not accept one of defence counsel’s arguments for reduced sentencing that suggested the experience of living as a fugitive was similar to house arrest for 24-year-old Fung Ching-wah.

“It is not a reason to reduce his jail terms. Although he was instigated by others to jump bail, without his own consent and cooperation, he would not need to hide and take flight,” he said. “These consequences were caused by the defendant himself.”

The former vocational school student was first charged with rioting during the 2019 anti-government protests but he skipped bail in October 2020. He tried in vain to seek protection from the United States consulate in the city, and he was arrested again before he attempted to flee to Taiwan in July this year.

Fung was arrested along with four others during the National Day protests in Tsuen Wan in 2019. About 200 black-clad demonstrators had hurled petrol bombs, bricks and glass bottles towards police from behind self-made barricades. They also set fire to flammable liquids during the October 1 protests.

He was released on bail after being charged with rioting and told to report to Tsuen Wan Police Station twice a week. But Fung went missing from October 31, 2020, after attending a hearing on September 3. He was absent from two hearings the next year.

The court issued a warrant for his arrest in February 2021.