The FDC held a New Year's Day parade on Hong Kong Island on January 1 last year. The parade later turned into a clash between police and civilians.
Six men and one woman were intercepted in Causeway Bay on the same day. They were found in possession of ropes, laser pointers and spray paint.
They denied the relevant charges and were tried. The Eastern District Court magistrate today (27th) convicted five of the defendants and the other two defendants were not guilty.
The case was postponed to sentence on the 17th of next month, during which the 4 male defendants who were convicted must be remanded in custody, while the female defendants were released on bail.
The seven defendants are Guan Weiluo (32 years old, construction worker), Li Yuxin (40 years old, unemployed), Liu Zirui (21 years old, student), 15-year-old male student, Liang Min (25 years old, hair stylist), Ren Yongxian (25 years old, closed-circuit television technician) and Zhang Xumin (22 years old, student).
Alleged that it was reasonable for one of the defendants to possess the rope due to work
The first five defendants were also charged with one count of "possessing offensive weapons or tools suitable for illegal purposes", alleging that they had possession of the goods in question in Causeway Bay on the day of the crime.
Among them, there are wrenches in the relevant tube; Li and Liu She have 34 and 300 cords respectively; the 15-year-old male student has a hammer in the tube; Liang She tube has a pair of pliers and a series of hexagonal keys.
When the magistrate ruled today, Li and others ran an information technology company, and Li was responsible for maintenance. Therefore, it was reasonable to possess the cable.
When Liu was arrested, the police officer involved did not record that Liu had a headgear at the scene. Later, at the police station, he said that he had a headgear and believed that there was a doubt in this regard.
The magistrate therefore found the two guilty.
However, the magistrate refused to accept the explanation of the possession of the other three defendants and found them guilty.
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Rejecting the seventh defendant, saying that he was going to return to his friends, so he took a spray paint parade
The sixth defendant, Ren Yongxian, was involved on the day of the case and possessed two radio communication devices and a laser pointer.
He earlier pleaded guilty to an unlicensed possession of a radio communication device, but denied that he was tried for the offence of possession of offensive weapons in a public place. The magistrate has now convicted the crime.
The seventh defendant Zhang Xumin was charged with one count of possession of objects with intent to destroy or damage property, alleging that she was in possession of a spray paint.
Zhang said that he brought the spray paint to the parade on the day of the crime and he wanted to return the items to his friends on the same day.
However, the magistrate pointed out that spray painting would increase her burden, and rejected her statement and convicted her.
They were originally charged with the crime of illegal assembling, and the magistrate ruled that they were unfounded.
Case Number: ESCC387/2021