Leader of bomb plot targeting Hong Kong police admits he spent most crowdfunded money on himself
- ‘Dragon Slaying Brigade’ leader Wong Chun-keung says he spent money raised through crowdfunding on petrol bombs, but also on trip to Thailand, betting and loan repayments
- Wong’s relationship with sole female defendant, Lau Pui-ying, comes under spotlight, with Wong saying: ‘She was not our core member, but I valued her as part of the team’
The leader of the “Dragon Slaying Brigade”, the team behind a thwarted 2019 bomb plot targeting Hong Kong police, has admitted in court that he did not use money raised through crowdfunding to support the group and the purchase of firearms, and instead spent it on an overseas holiday, football betting and repaying personal loans.
Plot mastermind Wong Chun-keung continued to testify for the prosecution at the High Court on Monday against female defendant Lau Pui-ying and six men, who have been charged under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance.
Lau’s defence lawyer argued Wong had improperly used HK$245,000 (US$31,350) Lau raised through crowdfunding between November and December 2019 after the pair began to co-manage a Telegram Channel specifically created to appeal for donations.
Wong’s bank records presented in court showed that Lau had transferred HK$150,000 to him between November 8 and 11 that year, and Wong admitted he subsequently spent nearly half of it on football betting.
He told the court on Monday that bank records did not reflect all the donations he received, as two to three backers had handed him up to HK$100,000 in cash when he met them.
“About two to three financial backers directly gave me a large amount of cash. There were others who gave me less, and for those people, I did not really entertain them,” Wong said. “I would not go out and meet them just for that several thousand dollars.”
He added that some backers instead made direct transfers to bank accounts under Wong and Lau’s names.
Lau and Wong are jointly charged with conspiracy of providing or collecting property to commit terrorist acts. Lau denied it but Wong pleaded guilty.
Wong has admitted to a joint conspiracy charge of planting two bombs in Wan Chai on December 8, 2019, while the sex male defendants have denied they committed the crime.
David Ma Wai-kwan, the defence lawyer for Lau, said Wong had exaggerated the price the group was paying for 100 petrol bombs. He had previously claimed they cost HK$100,000, but according to chat records involving Wong and another front line protester named “Kristy”, 300 petrol bombs cost just HK$5,000.
Wong denied the allegation, explaining he opted for better quality petrol bombs and was willing to pay more for ones that were more powerful. He insisted he did not embezzle the HK$100,000 and had in fact paid for the incendiary devices.
Ma presented evidence showing Wong made a cash withdrawal from his bank account, including HK$50,000 between October 28 to November 2 in 2019.
Wong admitted that he spent about the money on a five-day trip to Thailand with one of his teammates.
He also admitted that he had used money raised from crowdfunding to repay three money lenders, whom he owed more than HK$100,000.
The court heard that Lau was introduced to Wong through a brigade teammate on November 4, and Lau asked him how she could help.
“I want money, funding. I am serious about it,” Wong replied in a message.
But Lau replied with a “tears of joy” emoji, which Wong said gave him a feeling Lau was not bothering to reply to him.
In their initial conversation, Wong disclosed that he wanted to buy gear for their attack and put three “gun” emojis in the chat.
Ma argued that Wong never verbally confirmed with Lau that those emojis indicated real firearms, as Lau did not know whether Wong was referring to air guns or toy guns.
Ma said the only occasion in which Wong mentioned anything related to guns was those three gun emojis, and that Lau had no way to know the brigade planned to use firearms in the protests later.
Ma also argued that Lau was indifferent to the brigade’s activity, as she repeatedly used “palm face” emojis to respond to team members, who forwarded her a video clip showing the team’s actions on the front lines of the protests.
“I cannot determine if she was not interested in watching. Emojis can carry a lot of meaning,” Wong replied.
Ma asked whether Wong considered Lau part of the brigade.
Wong took a moment and said: “This is quite ambiguous. She was not our core member, but I valued her as part of the team. But this is purely my definition.”
The trial continues on Tuesday.
