Hong Kong student with autism pleads guilty to wounding security guard with knife last year
- Defendant lost his temper at time of attack and took it out on a guard, who looked almost identical to his father, defence lawyer says
A Hong Kong student with autism accused of wounding a security guard outside the government headquarters last year has pleaded guilty to the charge, with the defence saying the knife attack was not politically motivated.
The defence lawyer told District Court on Friday Leung Hoi-wa, aged 17 at the time, was angry with his father and that he had lost his temper and taken it out on the guard. The 57-year-old guard, who happened to look like the defendant’s father, was stationed near the Tim Mei Avenue footbridge connecting Tamar in Admiralty.
Leung, who was charged with one count of wounding with intent, admitted that he had used a fruit knife to inflict grievous bodily harm on the guard on October 4 last year.
“He lost his temper and took it out on a guard, who looked almost identical to his father,” the lawyer said in Leung’s mitigation.
“Although the date and location of the incident appeared to be sensitive, [the offence] is unrelated to politics,” he added.
Security camera footage at the vicinity showed that the victim raised his left arm to protect himself when the defendant attempted to slash him with a fruit knife.