The High Court has dismissed appeals by four people who attacked former lawmaker Nathan Law last year. They were sent to jail immediately on Friday.
Law, who was still a Demosisto lawmaker last January, was surrounded by protesters following a trip to Taiwan, where he and three activists and lawmakers were attending a forum hosted by Taiwan’s New Power Party.
The four assailants – Giok Kheng, Tong Fat-cheung, Lau Pit-chuen and Kwong Kwai-sim – were found guilty in December last year and were released on bail pending appeal.
High Court Judge Joseph Yau on Friday rejected their appeal and the four – aged between 54 and 73 – will each have to serve three months in prison for common assault and taking part in an unlawful assembly.
During the appeal, the defendants’ lawyers claimed that Law “did not disagree to be attacked,” since he failed to fight back or voice any opposition.
They also claimed that Law’s testimony was not credible.
Judge Yau rejected the claims, calling them “frivolous and vexatious.”
Yau said the evidence showed that the four clearly conducted their behaviour at the scene in a disorderly manner, and they acted together to assault Law.
After hearing the ruling, Tong chanted “Long live the Chinese Communist Party,” and “the Hong Kong government is helping the independence [movement].”
Tong also slammed the courtroom’s dock as he chanted the slogans.
A supporter of the four inside the courtroom called the judge a “yellow ribbon dog judge,” referring to the symbol of the city’s pro-democracy Occupy movement in 2014.
Others also chanted slogans such as “rubbish law” and claimed the judge “will have bricks thrown at him soon or later.”
