Two men who threw eggs at student activist Joshua Wong will each face two weeks in jail after a court review of the sentence on Monday.
Li Wong, 27 and Cheung Ka-shing, 33 were originally fined HK$3000 after being found guilty of common assault in August, a sentence that Wong said did not adequately reflect the seriousness of the crime. The prosecution then asked the court to review the sentence.
The magistrate sentenced the pair at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court on Monday, saying that the crime was premeditated and of a serious nature. He also said that the two men had a high chance of being re-offenders and that the sentence should have a deterrent effect.
The magistrate said that according to the report, community service was not recommended for the pair, because Li had been absent four times for appointments with the probation officer. This showed he did not regret his actions. Cheung had also been uncooperative and unrepentant.
The court also rejected the defence counsel’s argument that a lighter sentence should be handed out because League of Social Democrat lawmaker Derek Chan Tak-cheung had also once thrown eggs at Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah.
In addition to the sentence, the pair had to pay HK$120 in cleaning fees to a lawyer who had been accidentally hit by parts of the egg. Li also had to pay an extra fine of HK$1,500 for violating terms of his parole.
Li and Cheung threw eggs at Wong outside the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court last November. They were said to have committed the crime because their income had been affected by the pro-democracy Occupy protests last year.
