Man jailed for hurling brick at cops during HK riot

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court sentenced a man to prison for two years and 10 months for throwing a brick at police “for fun” during the Mong Kok riot in 2016.

The 25-year-old Tang Ho-yin, who was seen on video footage throwing a brick at a police officer during a standoff between protesters and the police in the early hours of Feb 9, 2016, earlier pleaded guilty to a single count of rioting.

Judge Eddie Yip Chor-man yesterday noted that even though the brick Tang, a waiter by profession, had thrown didn’t hit anyone and he just took part in the riot “for fun,” he had threatened and insulted the police.

The court was told that the defendant suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and took part in the riot out of impulse rather than premeditation.

Justice Yip noted that the defendant didn’t wear a mask like other rioters to conceal their identity and had pleaded guilty earlier last year.

As a result, Yip reduced Tang’s jail term from five years to less than three. The Mong Kok unrest during the first night of the lunar New Year in 2016 saw 130 people injured when hundreds of masked protesters hurled bricks pried from the pavement and set fires at the rubbish bins on the roadside.

Around 70 people were detained in connection with the incident. — China Daily/Asia News Network