Four men have pleaded guilty to rioting during the siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) campus amid anti-extradition protests and riots seven years ago.
Cheung Chung-yiu, 24; Cheung Chin-ming, 29; Chan Chun-hei, 22; and Chan Yuen-ming, 33, appeared in the District Court on Monday morning to enter their pleas.
The four defendants were not prosecuted when they were first arrested in 2019 and 2020. However, they were was rearrested in June 2024 and accused of rioting at PolyU between November 14, 2019 and November 20, 2019.
The events at the Hung Hom campus were one of the most violent episodes of protests and riots in 2019, with protesters setting fire to petrol bombs as they clashed with police.
A fifth defendant, Lai Chun-kit, was not present. He has not attended hearings since October 2024 and an arrest warrant has been issued for him, Witness reported.
According to for the prosecution, the CCTV footage captured the behavior of the defendants during the riots. Cheung Chung-yiu was seen moving barriers to block a footbridge, while Cheung Chin-ming and Chan Chun-hei were filmed taking containers from a laboratory.
Chan Yuen-ming was seen walking around the university campus and taking a large flask and two bottles with him.
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All four defendants had originally planned to plead not guilty and proceed with a trial, the court heard, but later changed their minds.
During mitigation, Cheung Chung-yiu’s lawyer said the defendant had gone abroad to study before being arrested again in 2024, while Cheung Chin-ming’s lawyer told the court his client had supported victims of the Wang Fuk Court fire in its aftermath.
A legal representative for Chan Chun-hei said the defendant was only 16 at the time of the incident. He worked in the construction industry and became a father at the age of 21, his lawyer said, adding that he regretted what he had done when he was younger.
Chan Yuen-ming’s lawyer said his client was tricked into working on a scam farm in Thailand, returning to Hong Kong in 2022 after his family paid a ransom. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, the lawyer said.
The lawyer added that Chan Yuen-ming was sentenced to 18 years and five months in prison for a drug trafficking offense and that he will face a long prison term.
The four defendants will be sentenced on June 8. Riots are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, although sentences given in the District Court are limited to seven years.
