An 18-year-old student who sat for his Diploma of Secondary Education exams this year was yesterday placed on probation for 18 months for hurling bricks at a water cannon truck.

Eastern Court magistrate Bina Chainrai also ordered Chan Yip-wan to take community courses while serving the probation order.

Chan earlier pled guilty to criminal damage and possessing things with intent to damage property.

He was arrested after he threw bricks at a water cannon truck three meters away as the vehicle reached Percival Street in Causeway Bay on January 1.

Officers subdued him and found him in possession of a plastic bottle containing a 210-milliliter mixture of cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane and caster sugar, a utility knife, a cutter, a lighter and a hammer.

Chan's lawyer said the probation report showsed his client to be of good character and that he was remorseful, and suggested he be remanded in the detention center or held under a probation order.

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old university student was acquitted of two counts of police assault in connection with a Wong Tai Sin protest last year.

Yim Sai-wang yesterday appeared before Kwun Tong magistrate Leung Siu-ling.

He was charged with assaulting police sergeant Tsui Siu-hung and police constable Mak Wing-cheung outside exit B2 of Wong Tai Sin MTR station on August 3 last year.

The court summoned Tsui and Mak alongside sergeant Choi Man-tung, who intercepted Yim on the day, as witnesses.

Leung refused to take Choi's testimony into account, saying that the sergeant was standing behind Yim and should have been able to stop the alleged assault.

She said that he could not accurately recall what happened during the alleged assault, and his reaction on the day was unreasonable.

Leung also ruled out Mak for being "contradictory," as he did not deny that he might have pushed Yim from behind, as shown in video footage.

Probation for brick hurler