District Court finds five guilty of rioting

The District Court on Friday found five people guilty of rioting and resisting a police officer in Wong Tai Sin on National Day in 2019.

Kwok Siu-kit, Cheung Kai-cheong, Ho Man-him, Wan Tsz-lam and Mak Ho-wai, who are aged between 19 and 30, were convicted of taking part in a riot around Lung Cheung Road and resisting the five officers who arrested them.

The court heard that at least 200 people had gathered in the area in the afternoon of October 1, 2019, with some blocking roads and hurling bricks and petrol bombs at the police.

Delivering his verdict, judge Ernest Lin said the court believed that the five had taken part in the riot judging from the black outfits and protective equipment they had worn, and because they resisted arrest at the scene.

In a written judgement, Lin said there was no evidence to suggest that any of the defendants had simply been passers-by.

Dozens of relatives and friends of the defendants attended the hearing on Friday, with some sobbing after hearing the verdicts.

The five defendants were remanded in custody, with sentencing set for February 11.