Eight jailed for rioting in 2019

Eight people guilty of rioting during an anti-government protest in 2019 have been sentenced to more than three years in prison each.

The District Court had heard that around 2,000 black-clad protesters had assembled at the Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard on August 11, 2019, occupying traffic lanes and blocking the exits of Tsim Sha Tsui police station.

Passing sentence on Saturday, judge Douglas Yau said the case was severe, as some protesters threw objects towards the police station, and pointed laser lights at officers.

He said such actions challenged the police operation directly and the rule of law indirectly.

The judge had earlier rejected some of the defendants’ arguments that they didn’t have time to leave the scene, saying the police had given repeated warnings.

Yau deducted three months from the sentences of five defendants either because of their young ages or their personal backgrounds. They will serve three and a half years behind bars, while the other defendants will serve three years and nine months each.

The ninth convicted defendant, who did not show up at the hearing, will be sentenced on April 12.