Seven jailed 38 to 40 months for rioting outside Diocesan Girls' School

Seven people were jailed on Saturday for between 38 and 40 months for rioting on Gascoigne Road in support of the clashes at Hong Kong Polytechnic University at the peak of the social unrest. 

The seven of them and two other 20-year-old students were found guilty of rioting on Gascoigne Road outside Diocesan Girls' School in Kowloon on November 18, 2019. 

Accounting clerk Nelson Chan Tsz-him, 29, engineer Kong Keng-tong, 27, university graduate Wong Sik-chit, 22, and jobless Tang Kam-lok, 24, were jailed for 38 months. 

Meanwhile, designer Leung Ka-sing, 24, bank staffer Tsang Sin-yee, 25, and surveyor Jim Lung-heung, 27, were jailed for 40 months. 

The two students – Chan Kwok-wai and Chan Ting-Kwan – were sent to a correctional institute. 

Leung and Jim were also found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon for unlawful purposes after police seized a pair of scissors, a can of lighter fuel, a hex key, and a spanner in their possession. 

When passing the sentences in District Court on Saturday, judge Josiah Lam Wai-kuen said the anti-extradition bill protests in 2019 led to violent events, and many involved were young people, including the defendants in this case. 

They don't have much life experience, and, despite their wrong methods, they have the heart to change society, Lam pointed out. Yet, the court must combat these kinds of unlawful acts where the safety of law enforcement officers is endangered.   

The court must hand down sentences with a deterrent effect, but the penalties cannot be too heavy to avoid causing a "crushing effect" on the youngsters, who will serve the city again in the future, Lam added.