Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui guilty of assault after snatching public official’s phone, dashing to men’s toilet and emailing files to himself
- Eastern Court rules Democratic Party’s Ted Hui also guilty of obstructing a public officer in the performance of duty and obtaining access to a computer with dishonest intent
- Hui argued government sending officials to monitor lawmakers was privacy infringement but concedes his actions ‘exceeded constraint of society’
A Hong Kong opposition lawmaker who snatched a phone from a public officer he claimed was acting like “paparazzi” is facing jail after he was found guilty of assault on Monday.
Eastern Court ruled Ted Hui Chi-fung, 36, from the Democratic Party, was guilty of one count of common assault on senior executive officer Christina Leung Ngok-sze on April 24 last year.
Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi also found that by taking away the officer’s phone, Hui had interrupted the woman’s work, so also convicted him of obstructing a public officer in the performance of duty.
Cheng also convicted Hui, who read content on the phone and sent five files to his own email account, of obtaining access to a computer with dishonest intent.
The magistrate adjourned the case to June 10, seeking a report to study whether community service was suitable.
“The possibility of an immediate custodial sentence exists,” he said.