Two men sentenced to up to 120 hours of community service for train roof riding

Two men who filmed themselves joyriding on the roofs of moving trains in Hong Kong have been sentenced to up to 120 hours of community service at the Eastern Court on Tuesday.

The court previously heard that the incident happened on December 22, 2022, with the pair, internet celebrity Tong Cheuk-yin and maintenance technician Lee Siu-hang, both 24,  among five men arrested in January and June this year on suspicion of committing a series of illegal acts - including the train roof riding.

Tong and Lee were accused to have jumped on to the roofs of two moving MTR light rail trains in Tuen Mun in the New Territories for thrills. They were also charged with flying a drone in restricted airspace near Victoria Harbour, along with entering restricted areas and trespassing in a off-limits area along Sha Tin’s Shing Mun River.

All of them pleaded guilty to their charges with the other three defendants, Chan Hoi-kiu, 22, Jackel Mok Chik-ho, 23, and Au Chung-man, 22, having previously fined HK$2,000 each.

Passing sentence, the magistrate said both Tong and Lee showed remorse, but the two as adults should not act in an arbitrary manner, especially not to affect public safety.

The magistrate also said Tong carried a leadership role in this case and should be responsible for his own actions, therefore sentencing Tong to 120 hours of community services and Lee 80 hours of community services.