Construction worker found guilty of rioting

A 26-year-old construction worker has been found guilty of rioting and assaulting a police officer during a siege of the police headquarters in Wan Chai on June 26 last year.

Shum Hiu-lun has become one of the first offenders to be found guilty of rioting by the court over events linked to the anti-government protests of last year, though a 21-year-old man had pleaded guilty to rioting earlier this year.

Shum has been remanded in custody till his sentencing on September 25.

The court heard that Shum twice punched the plainclothes officer, Cheung Kam-fok, when he was being surrounded by protesters outside the police headquarters.

District Court judge Anthony Kwok found Shum guilty of rioting, common assault, and failing to surrender to custody after skipping a pretrial hearing while on bail.

In his ruling Kwok said that the defendant admitted he and other demonstrators were carrying metal barriers and other items at the time, blocking the entrances and exits of the police headquarters.

He pointed out that that night thousands of demonstrators surrounded the building, sprayed graffiti on its walls, and covered up the security cameras using plastic bags to hide their identities.

The judge said these behaviours are extremely threatening and disruptive.

(Source: RTHK)