The Hong Kong High Court on Thursday sentenced the accused ringleader of an alleged bomb plot targeting Hong Kong police to 23 years and 10 months imprisonment.
Ng Chi-hung was convicted of “conspiracy to commit a bombing of prescribed object” under the city’s United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance. The court also sentenced six other individuals. Wong Chun-keung, the leader of the “Dragon Slaying Brigade,” was sentenced to prison for 13 years and six months. The other five defendants received sentences ranging from five years and 10 months to 12 years imprisonment.
The seven individuals sentenced Thursday were among the initial 14 defendants involved in the case. The seven other defendants denied the charges and stood trial from April to August this year, with a jury acquitting six and convicting one.
The defendants in the “Dragon Slaying Brigade” case were accused of conspiring to use firearms and explosives to kill police officers during the pro-democracy march organized by the Civil Human Rights Front on December 8, 2019. Court of First Instance Judge Cheung Wai-ling, reviewing the plea case, stated that the defendants intended to place one large and one small bomb at two locations. During the march, the group planned to lure police officers to the scene and detonate the smaller bomb. Subsequently, the gunman would shoot from a higher position with a long gun, forcing the police towards the location of the larger bomb. The massive explosion would ultimately cause serious injury or death to police officers.
The case marks the first time the Department of Justice (DOJ) has prosecuted any individuals under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance since its enactment in 2002. With no sentencing guidelines or precedents available, Judge Cheung referenced the case HKSAR v Yip Kai Foon, in which the accused received an 18-year prison sentence for possessing two kilograms of TNT explosives in connection with a robbery. Ng Chi-hung’s lawyer stated the explosives in this case were not as lethal as TNT. Judge Cheung rejected the claim, indicating that this case is more serious since the defendants intended to kill police officers and subvert the government. Considering the potential destruction of the two bombs involved, Judge Cheung said the appropriate starting point for sentencing should exceed 18 years of imprisonment.
In response to the sentencing on Thursday, the Hong Kong government emphasized that the accused was involved in “extreme terrorist violence.” The government said that if similar cases arise in the future, the government may apply strengthened laws related to national security, including the National Security Law (NSL) and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO).
Senior Superintendent Li Kwai-wah from the Hong Kong Police Force National Security Department stated that this is the heaviest sentence connected to the anti-extradition movement in 2019, underscoring the court’s recognition of the severity of the crimes. Li said the police force will study the reasons for sentencing in detail with the DOJ and consider whether to file a review application to the appellate court regarding the sentences.
