Three men have pleaded guilty to rioting over their involvement in a mob attack in Yuen Long amid the 2019 protests and unrest.
Ng Wai-tak, 38, Wong Ho-sing, 28, and Cheng Man-kit, 43, appeared before District Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching at the District Court on Monday morning, where they pleaded guilty to rioting.
The mob attack on July 21, 2019 in Yuen Long MTR station. Photo: Screenshot.
Their guilty pleas came after their cases had already gone to trial. According to judiciary records, Monday was the first day of the trial, scheduled for 15 days.
Ng and Wong also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to wound with intent, local media reported, while Cheng pleaded not guilty to the wounding charge.
Their cases relate an incident on the evening of July 21, 2019, when over 100 men, many of whom were wearing white and weilding rods, stormed Yuen Long MTR station and attacked passers-by. Forty-five people were injured in the attck, including journalists, protesters, commuters and pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting.
Lam in December was among seven convicted of rioting during the attack. The judge said he did not believe Lam had been trying to mediate the conflict or monitor police enforcement at Yuen Long station. Chan said he was trying to take advantage of the situation for his own political benefit.
District Court in Wan Chai. File photo: Hans Tse/HKFP.
Police were criticised for responding slowly to the incident, with some officers seen leaving the scene or interacting with the white-clad men. The official account of the incident evolved over a year, with the authorities eventually claiming it was a “gang fight.”
The court on Monday was shown a video clip in which dozens of men dressed in white and wielding wooden rods, rattan canes, and umbrellas rushing into the paid area of the MTR station, then entering the platform and attacking commuters, according to local media.
