Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1851051/student-protester-jailed-obstructing-hong-kong-policeman
Hong Kong/ Law and Crime

Student protester jailed for obstructing Hong Kong policeman during attempt to revive Occupy Central protests

Cheng Kam-mun was sentenced to three weeks in jail. Photo: Sam Tsang

The founder of now-defunct Hong Kong activist group Student Front was today jailed for three weeks for obstructing a police officer in a Christmas stunt last year.

Passing sentence, Kowloon City Magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han said the offence committed by student Cheng Kam-mun, 27, was serious in nature.

“You deliberately charged police cordon lines and provoked police officers. Luckily, others were not provoked by you, which might otherwise have led to a messier situation. If that was the case, losses and injuries of life could be expected,” she added.

Previously, the court heard Cheng obstructed police officer Fan Chun-kit, ignored the officer’s requests twice, ran in a different direction when intercepted and scurried into a big crowd when the officer attempted to stop him in the early hours of December 25 last year.

At the time, Cheng was crossing the road from a section of Argyle Street near Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok, where police had imposed traffic controls over a mass attempt to revive the Occupy movement.

Cheng managed to get past a police cordon and crossed the road there, claiming he was not aware of the restrictions. He earlier denied one count of obstructing a police officer.

Before jailing Cheng, Heung read out in court parts of the content of a background report that she called for previously to ascertain an appropriate sentence.

She said the student was studying accounting in Australia, and was back in Hong Kong during last year’s 79-day Occupy protests. The report said Cheng felt remorse for making his family members worried about him.

The courtroom was packed with Cheng’s supporters, with some sitting in the public gallery due to limited seats. Lawmaker Wong Yuk-man also rushed to Kowloon City Court to throw his support behind Cheng after he appeared at Eastern Court this morning charged with assaulting Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.