Court cuts bomb plot sentence by eight months
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago6 MIN
Summary
A 23-year-old student convicted over a 2021 plot to place bombs at locations including court buildings has succeeded in appealing his sentence. He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause an explosion and was originally jailed for six years. On Thursday morning, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and cut his sentence by eight months to five years and four months.
The case arose from a prosecution involving seven young men and women, including members of the activist group Returning Valiant (光城者). Earlier proceedings ended with sentences ranging from detention in a training centre to prison terms of six months to six years, depending on the offence admitted. Some defendants pleaded guilty under the National Security Law to conspiracy to commit terrorist activities, while the appellant admitted the alternative offence of conspiracy to cause an explosion.
At the original sentencing, judge Alex Lee Wan-tang (李運騰) said the student, Cheung Ho-yeung (張昊揚), had a heavier level of culpability. The judge said he helped the alleged ringleader recruit participants and sent information on making explosives, placing the conduct only one step away from actually manufacturing and detonating devices. The judge set a starting point of eight years before reducing it to six years for the guilty plea.
Key Points
- The Court of Appeal on Thursday allowed Cheung Ho-yeung's sentence appeal and reduced his prison term from six years to five years and four months.
- Cheung, 23, admitted one count of conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or property in the 2021 plot.
- The wider case involved seven young defendants linked to Returning Valiant, with plans to attack court buildings and other places using bombs
- Trial judge Alex Lee Wan-tang said Cheung assisted alleged mastermind Ho Yue-hung in recruiting participants and sending explosive-making information.
- The judge treated Cheung as more culpable, set an eight-year starting point, and reduced it to six years after his guilty plea
Why It Matters
The ruling changes the final sentence for one of the more heavily blamed defendants in a closely watched bomb-plot case involving Returning Valiant. For Hong Kong readers, it also shows that even after a guilty plea and a detailed sentencing ruling, the Court of Appeal may still intervene to adjust punishment in serious explosion-conspiracy cases.