Judge slams radical activists’ actions as ‘dangerous’, ‘selfish’ and ‘reckless’

Legal punishment will be the sure consequence for those who resort to illegal means for whatever cause, a District Court judge said on Wednesday when sentencing two radical activists for conspiracy to commit arson outside the Legislative Council Complex in December 2015.

Deputy District Judge Lily Wong Sze-lai ordered 24-yearold Joe Yeung Yat-long to be put behind bars for two years and 21-year-old co-defendant Ip Cheuk-yin to be sent to a detention center.

In handing down the ruling, Wong slammed the duo’s conduct as “dangerous”, “selfish” and “reckless”. It had also led to a waste of police manpower as the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Bureau had deployed a specialist team to the spot, she added.

The judge also stressed that the offense was “serious” as the explosion was “highly likely” to cause injuries to people nearby and significant economic loss-