A 22-year-old University of Hong Kong graduate was convicted of endangering safety of railway passengers for throwing PVC barriers onto light rail tracks in Tin Shui Wai.
Wong Wai-shun was found guilty at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, and will be remanded until his sentencing in two weeks' time, pending a detention center report.
He placed a barrier on the railway tracks on Tin Shing Road, which is near the Tin Wu light rail station in Tin Shui Wai on November 20, 2019.
Magistrate Jeffrey Sze Cho-yiu said that the defendant admitted that he "went out to block the road to express his demand". The conduct would definitely bring the risk of accidents to the light rail.
He also found the defendant to have made exaggerations in his testimony. In comparison, he accepted two police officers as reliable witnesses.
Defense said sergeant Chan Ming-tat asked Wong to sign a notice to people in custody without reading him the content, claiming he "had to sign it to be released on bail as soon as possible". Chan also refused to allow the defendant to call a lawyer, defense said.
Wong also claimed he was asked to stand on a bench for 40 minutes after he was intercepted by police.
Magistrate Sze was of the view that Wong made exaggerated and self-contradictory statements.
"The defendant first claimed that he had stood on the bench for 40 minutes, and then said that he sat down during that time," Sze said.
He added that Wong also called his girlfriend to find a lawyer after reading the notice to persons in custody, so it was unlikely for him to have signed it before his lawyer arrived.
As for sergeant Chan, the magistrate accepted that he said the sooner the defendant signed the notice, the sooner he could leave.
He also found it reasonable for police sergeant Lee Ho-kei to have forgotten what he and the defendant talked about.
As the defendant admitted that he went out to express his views, the magistrate found it sufficient to convict him, as he would not have confessed to something he didn't do.
In mitigation, defense said Wong only wanted to create chaos by blocking the road, without the intention of endangering the safety of others.
He hoped that the magistrate would consider that the light rail trains go slower than subway and they make stops on the way, so the potential danger caused by Wong's action was relatively low.
He added the defendant has learned a lesson and understood that he should not express his demands illegally.
He placed a barrier on the railway tracks on Tin Shing Road, which is near the Tin Wu light rail station in Tin Shui Wai on November 20, 2019.
Magistrate Jeffrey Sze Cho-yiu said that the defendant admitted that he "went out to block the road to express his demand". The conduct would definitely bring the risk of accidents to the light rail.
He also found the defendant to have made exaggerations in his testimony. In comparison, he accepted two police officers as reliable witnesses.
Defense said sergeant Chan Ming-tat asked Wong to sign a notice to people in custody without reading him the content, claiming he "had to sign it to be released on bail as soon as possible". Chan also refused to allow the defendant to call a lawyer, defense said.
Wong also claimed he was asked to stand on a bench for 40 minutes after he was intercepted by police.
Magistrate Sze was of the view that Wong made exaggerated and self-contradictory statements.
"The defendant first claimed that he had stood on the bench for 40 minutes, and then said that he sat down during that time," Sze said.
He added that Wong also called his girlfriend to find a lawyer after reading the notice to persons in custody, so it was unlikely for him to have signed it before his lawyer arrived.
As for sergeant Chan, the magistrate accepted that he said the sooner the defendant signed the notice, the sooner he could leave.
He also found it reasonable for police sergeant Lee Ho-kei to have forgotten what he and the defendant talked about.
As the defendant admitted that he went out to express his views, the magistrate found it sufficient to convict him, as he would not have confessed to something he didn't do.
In mitigation, defense said Wong only wanted to create chaos by blocking the road, without the intention of endangering the safety of others.
He hoped that the magistrate would consider that the light rail trains go slower than subway and they make stops on the way, so the potential danger caused by Wong's action was relatively low.
He added the defendant has learned a lesson and understood that he should not express his demands illegally.