Hong Kong man arrested after charging at judge in courtroom with knife
Hong Kong Free Press
A man has been arrested after charging towards a magistrate in a Hong Kong courtroom while wielding a knife.
Police said on Monday that the incident took place at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts in the morning, when a man seated in the public gallery in an eighth-floor courtroom charged towards the magistrate while taking a knife out of his bag.
The magistrate escaped harm and the man was subdued after running out of the courtroom. The police officers who subdued him were injured in the process, crime unit superintendent Gar Kam-lam of the police’s Kowloon West Regional Headquarters said, including one who suffered cuts to his hand.
The man, surnamed Lee and aged 32, was arrested over attempting to wound. Police found four knives on him, as well as unknown liquids, powders, lighters and a box of matches. Tests taken later revealed that the liquids contained flammable contents.
The knives ranged in length from 27 to 46 centimetres, with the knife that Lee held while charging towards the magistrate the longest of them.
Gar said police also found court documents in his possession which showed that he had been charged with indecent assault case in relation to an incident in 2020. The magistrate he attempted to attack in the courtroom had also presided over that case, Gar said.
The criminal proceedings for the indecent assault case were already complete, Gar added, but Lee was attempting to appeal the case at the High Court.
Lee, who has a history of receiving psychiatric treatment, was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital after the arrest as he was not emotionally stable.
The Department of Justice said in a statement on Monday that it condemned the attack, which threatened the magistrate’s personal safety.
“The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will not tolerate any illegal or violent acts, and the Police will thoroughly investigate the case, strictly enforce the law and bring any offender to account,” the statement read.
While there are security checks in place at the District Court and the High Court, Gar said visitors to the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts are not subject to inspections. He said police would speak with judicial authorities on measures to strengthen security.
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