Defence lawyer accuses key witness in Hong Kong bomb plot trial of telling ‘lie after lie’

A defence lawyer in a Hong Kong trial involving an alleged 2019 bomb plot targeting police has asked the jury to weigh evidence from the “Dragon Slaying Brigade” leader with a grain of salt, accusing the prosecution witness of telling “lie after lie” in court to lessen his sentence.

Barrister Dick Lee Kwok-fu on Tuesday began the defence’s closing submission in High Court by asking the nine-strong jury to assess the credibility of brigade leader Wong Chun-keung, arguing part of the witness’ evidence was fabricated to serve his own agenda and to “fill the gaps” of a story that he thought would fit the prosecution case.

“Wong had been untruthful and deceived his teammates. What he had said was a pack of lies, with many doubts casting in his evidence,” Lee told the jury.

“If [you] cannot safely determine whether Wong had told the truth, the benefit of doubt should go to the defendant.”

Lee, defence for the alleged member Cheung Chun-fu, stressed his client thought the brigade would only use fireworks during one of the 2019 protests and never entered into a conspiracy to plant two bombs on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai on December 8 that year.

Cheung was among the seven defendants charged under United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance over the thwarted plot.