A Hong Kong man has been found guilty in a retrial over his involvement in the Yuen Long mob attack in 2019, after his acquittal was overturned last year.
District Court Judge Eddie Yip convicted Wong Chi-wing of one count each of rioting and wounding with intent on Thursday after an appeal court in August sent back the case to Yip’s court.
Yip previously acquitted Wong in 2021.
On Thursday, however, the judge determined that Wong had participated in the mob attack on July 21, 2019, during which over a hundred white-clad, rod-wielding men stormed Yuen Long MTR station, leaving 45 people injured, including journalists, protesters, commuters, and pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting.
The mob attack marked a watershed during the months-long anti-extradition bill protests and unrest in 2019 and prompted widespread criticism of police inaction and misconduct after some officers were seen leaving the scene or interacting with the white-clad men.
Convicted at retrial
Wong was among eight people facing rioting and wounding charges over the July 2019 attacks. He was the only one found not guilty, while the other seven were convicted.
In August, the Court of Appeal ruled that the trial judge, Yip, had overlooked evidence presented in the case and, therefore, erred in determining that Wong was not among the attackers.
The appeal judges then overturned Wong’s non-guilty verdict and sent his case back to be reconsidered by Yip.
Re-examining the evidence on Thursday, Yip decided that a pair of brown trousers and blue sneakers found at Wong’s residence, as well as his unmasked appearance, matched the appearance of a man photographed on the scene, according to local media.
To date, 21 people have been convicted of rioting over the Yuen Long attack – 13 of them belonged to the “white-clad” group, including Wong.
The rest were other people at the scene. Seven of them were found guilty in December and sentenced last month, including ex-lawmaker Lam. All seven men have lodged appeals against their convictions and prison terms.
An eighth man, who was tried separately, was convicted of rioting last April and sentenced to two years and nine months in jail.
