Teen convicted of sedition over slogans in Tsim Sha Tsui mall toilet

An 18-year-old was convicted of sedition on Wednesday after writing slogans and threats against Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and former chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor inside a male toilet at a Tsim Sha Tsui shopping complex.

Leung Kai-lok, who worked as a summer clerk, had earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage but denied one count of carrying out acts with seditious intent under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

The court heard that Leung wrote the slogans on toilet cubicle walls at China Hong Kong City between July 17 and 21 last year. They included a protest slogan, calls for Lam to step down and threats against Lam and Lee.

During the trial, a psychiatrist called by the defense said Leung had autism spectrum disorder and experienced acute dissociative reactions triggered by disappointment over his Diploma of Secondary Education examination results, insomnia and stress.

The defense also challenged the admissibility of Leung’s confession and four recorded police interviews, arguing that the statements had been obtained through intimidation and while he was mentally impaired.

Delivering the judgment at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak rejected the defense expert’s diagnosis, finding that it relied heavily on accounts from Leung’s parents and teachers and lacked sufficient objective verification.

So said Leung had appeared normal, attentive and capable of answering questions during the recorded interviews. He found no basis to conclude that Leung was experiencing the residual effects of dissociation and admitted his confession as evidence.

The court concluded that Leung understood the meaning of the slogans and acted with seditious intent. So said his decision to write inside toilet cubicles and move between them showed that he was conscious of the risks and retained self-control.

So said he did not hold a negative view of Leung’s background and indicated that a custodial sentence might not have been inevitable had he pleaded guilty at the outset.

The case was adjourned to August 12 for sentencing pending probation, community service, detention center, training center, psychiatric and psychological reports. Leung was remanded in custody.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓