Judge denies reduced jail term for ex-soldier who hurled entrails at media boss Jimmy Lai ‘to protect Hong Kong’
Judge says ‘strong urge’ to protect Hong Kong is no excuse for behaviour during Occupy protests
In 2015 Yip Wing-chi admitted one count of common assault on Lai, founder of Next Media, and was found guilty of an assault on another protester. He appealed against his 15-week sentence, arguing it was too long given he was only trying to stop Lai from occupying a street in Admiralty.
Mrs Justice Judianna Barnes Wai-ling rejected his plea for leniency and jailed him immediately.
“Whether those who initiate or take part in Occupy have committed a crime or should be convicted of a crime, et cetera, have to be determined by legal procedures,” she wrote in her judgment.
“Hong Kong upholds the rule of law, and [Yip] cannot proclaim himself as the law enforcer just because he had been a British soldier and boasts a strong urge of protecting Hong Kong.”
