Throwing glass towards ex-Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying could not have been assault, Wong Yuk-man says at appeal

One-time pan-democratic Legco member argues city’s former leader had never complained about being scared by the 2014 incident

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Wong Yuk-man appears at the High Court in Admiralty for his appeal against his conviction for throwing glass at Leung Chun-ying. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 7:00pm, 6 Aug 2018Updated: 9:10pm, 6 Aug 2018

A former pan-democratic lawmaker convicted of giving an ex-Hong Kong leader a scare by hurling a glass towards him during a legislative meeting told a court on Monday his action could not possibly amount to assault.

Wong Yuk-man was jailed for two weeks and fined HK$5,000 (US$637) after he was found guilty of common assault on former chief executive Leung Chun-ying by the Eastern Court in 2016.

The radical lawmaker, known for his animated speaking and filibustering attempts during his tenure between 2008 and 2016, tossed a glass in the direction of the top official during a question-and-answer session inside the Legislative Council on July 3, 2014.

The incident led to the first time a Hong Kong leader was called as a witness at a trial. Leung testified that the glass had landed behind him and shattered, sending him into shock.

The glass-throwing incident happened during a question-and-answer session of the Legislative Council in Tamar 2014. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

In common law, giving someone a fright can amount to an assault.

But on Monday, Wong argued the former top official had never complained about being scared by the glass-throwing. Rather, he was troubled by the noise of it breaking, which happened later.