Hong Kong man jailed for 8 weeks over insulting national anthem at volleyball match

Chan Pak-yui sentenced for disruptive acts while ‘March of the Volunteers’ played ahead of women’s Volleyball Nations League match last year

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Kowloon City Court has opted to extend the defendant’s bail to allow him to lodge an appeal. Photo: SCMP

Published: 8:17pm, 19 Aug 2024

A Hong Kong man has been jailed for nearly two months for insulting the national anthem during the opening ceremony of an international volleyball match last year.

Chan Pak-yui returned to Kowloon City Court on Monday to be sentenced for a series of disruptive acts while “March of the Volunteers” played before a women’s Volleyball Nations League match at the Coliseum in Hung Hom on June 16, 2023.

The 22-year-old was not required to serve his time immediately as the court opted to extend his bail to allow him to lodge an appeal.

Magistrate Kestrel Lam Tsz-hong highlighted Chan’s lack of genuine remorse in refusing his lawyers’ suggestions to accept a fine or a suspended sentence.

He said the accused only had himself to blame for skipping medications for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder shortly before committing the offence.

“The defendant, knowing from past experience that his condition would worsen if he failed to take medications on time, decided to stop medications, even though he was prescribed higher dosages just two days before he went to the Coliseum alone to watch the large-scale national [volleyball] match,” the magistrate said.