Autistic Hong Kong student, 18, spared jail for attacking guard outside government HQ
- District Court agrees with defence that there is ‘very little’ likelihood of the boy reoffending, sentences him to 12 months of probation
An 18-year-old Hong Kong student has been spared jail for attacking a security guard with a knife outside the government headquarters last year after a court agreed he had “very little” likelihood of reoffending in the future.
The District Court on Friday accepted the defence’s suggestion to sentence Leung Hoi-wa to 12 months’ probation, during which the student must maintain good behaviour and punctually attend follow-up psychiatric consultation sessions, among other conditions.
Leung, who has autism, pleaded guilty last month to a count of wounding with intent after slashing Lau Chi-wai near a footbridge to the headquarters in Admiralty on October 4, 2023.
Deputy Judge Francis Cheng Ming-bun said the teenager had encountered significant challenges in effectively communicating with others due to his rigid thinking and poor conversation skills.
The court heard Leung was angry with his father, a security guard, who had urged him to improve his English abilities, but the teenager was unable to explain the difficulties he had and did not dare challenge his parent.
Leung instead took his frustration out on 57-year-old Lau, who happened to look like the student’s father, by cutting him with a fruit knife, Cheng said.