Teen gets probation for seditious toilet graffiti
Crhk · 3 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
An 18-year-old defendant convicted of a sedition-related offence over graffiti in a men’s toilet at China Hong Kong City in Tsim Sha Tsui was sentenced at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts to an 18-month probation order and HK$1,500 in compensation. Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, a designated judge under the national security law, said the case involved special circumstances and exercised discretion after noting the limited audience and influence of the acts compared with online dissemination.
Key Points
- Leung Kai-lok, reported as a summer part-time clerk and aged 18 at the time of the offence, had earlier admitted three counts of criminal damage.
- He denied one count of doing acts with seditious intention, but was convicted over writings displayed on a wall in the men’s toilet on the 11th floor of Tower 3, China Hong Kong City.
- The offences were said to have taken place on July 17, 18 and 21, 2025, when he wrote “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” and other words targeting Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.
- According to the case, national security police officers lay in wait in the toilet on July 21, heard marker-pen writing from a cubicle, and arrested Leung after finding fresh seditious words
- The court ordered Leung to compensate Harbour City Estate Management HK$1,500, while the judge said freedom of expression is not absolute and urged him to obey the law in future
Why It Matters
The sentence shows the court was prepared to impose a non-custodial order after weighing the defendant’s age, personal circumstances and the relatively limited spread of the messages. For Hong Kong readers, the ruling also underlines that graffiti in semi-restricted premises can still lead to conviction for sedition-related conduct as well as criminal damage.