A man has been found guilty of assaulting a police officer during the pro-democracy Occupy movement last year based on the testimony of the attacked police officer, which was deemed “trustworthy.”
The verdict on Ho Man-chung, 36, came despite the two video clips submitted as evidence failed to show him carrying out the attack.
Ho appeared in court on Friday on the charge of assaulting a police officer. He was charged after he ignored police warning and refused to leave Tamar Park, then was said to have pushed away a police officer last October.
Magistrate Chu Chung-keung, handing down a guilty verdict, said that although the two video clips submitted to the court as evidence failed to show the defendant pushing and swearing at the police officer as was alleged, the attacked police officer appeared “trustworthy” and did not hesitate under cross-examination.
Counsel for the defence argued for a lighter sentence, saying that Ho is currently unemployed and that the said police officer was not physically injured. The magistrate, however, said that assaulting a police officer was a serious offence.
Ho was released on bail and the case was adjourned to September 21 for sentencing, after the magistrate reviewed reports on the defendant.
