Former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting sentenced to 37 Months for role in Yuen Long riots

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for his involvement in the July 21 Yuen Long mob attacks during the 2019 social unrest.

Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi delivered the sentence at the District Court on Thursday, also sentencing six other defendants to prison terms ranging from 25 to 31 months.

The hearing saw the presence of consular officials from various countries, including the United States and Canada.

Chan had previously convicted Lam and the other defendants for participating in a riot on the night when a group of white-clad men stormed the Yuen Long MTR Station armed with wooden poles. 

During the sentencing, the jChan criticized Lam, a prominent politician at the time, for exacerbating tensions rather than mediating the situation.

While acknowledging that the white-shirted mob instigated the violence, Chan condemned Lam’s actions, which included labeling the group as triad members and urging others at the station not to retreat. 

He noted that Lam failed to seek police assistance and chose to live stream the incident on his mobile phone instead.

Before issuing the sentences, Chan reflected on 2019 as a year that brought significant turmoil to Hong Kong, saying that the conflict between the “blue and yellow camps” had deeply divided society and caused widespread suffering.

A mitigation letter signed by “Hong Kong citizens” described Lam as a dedicated advocate for residents' welfare over the past 30 years. 

The letter urged the judge to consider Lam’s actions on July 21, when he reportedly injured his head while trying to protect citizens returning home, framing it as a case of “indiscriminate attack on ordinary citizens.”

Ultimately, Lam received the longest sentence among the defendants and will serve his 37-month term concurrently with a three-month sentence related to a subversion case stemming from the 35+ primary election. 

The other defendants received sentences of 31 months (Yu Ka-ho, Jason Chan Wing-hei, Kwong Ho-lam, and Marco Yeung Long), 28 months (Wan Chung-ming), and 25 months (Yip Kam-sing).

(Jamie Liu)