A Hong Kong man has pleaded guilty to one count of criminal damage after being accused of vandalising election posters, saying that he had only torn off a piece of a poster the size of his fingertip.
Mo Chi-kit, 23, appeared before Principal Magistrate Don So at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday over the criminal damage charge after he was accused of damaging two election posters in Mong Kok.
On November 19, he allegedly damaged two official government posters that bore a slogan calling on residents to cast their ballots in the “patriots only” Legislative Council (LegCo) elections.
A police officer discovered the damaged posters on November 22 on a footbridge in Mong Kok, The Witness reported. Mo was identified as the suspect after surveillance footage showed him in the act three days earlier.
He was accused of damaging the two posters without lawful excuse, with the intention to damage the property or acting recklessly as to whether it might be damaged.
The court heard on Tuesday that Mo admitted under police caution that he only damaged the posters “for fun,” while the defence argued that Mo had only torn off a piece from one of the posters about the size of a fingertip, while no text on the poster was damaged.
Magistrate So adjourned the case to January 28 for sentencing, pending probation and community service order reports, while Mo was granted bail.
Election posters
The Registration and Electoral Office plastered election posters across the city in the lead-up to the December 7 LegCo polls.
At least six other people were arrested on similar allegations involving the same posters and, in one case, a candidate’s campaign flag.
Police have warned that criminal damage is a serious offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The December elections were the second legislative polls held after Hong Kong revamped its electoral system to ensure only “patriots” would hold power in the city.
The 2021 overhaul reduced democratic representation in the legislature, tightened control of elections, and introduced a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select candidates, making it nearly impossible for pro-democracy candidates to stand.
