Court Cuts Social Worker's Jail Term Over Protest

The High Court on Tuesday rejected a social worker's appeal against a conviction for obstructing police during a protest in July 2019, but reduced his jail sentence from a year to eight months.

Judge Albert Wong ruled that Lau Ka-tung – who blocked a police officer from dispersing protesters during an unauthorised demonstration in Yuen Long – had hindered the work of officers.

The judge said while he would not rule out that Lau felt he "needed to do something" at the protest because he was a social worker, he didn't have a full grasp of the situation on the ground.

Wong added that Lau's outfit on the day bore the slogan "social workers revolt, it's not a crime to defy orders", showing that he did not go to the protest scene merely in the neutral capacity of a social worker.

But the judge also agreed that Lau – a first-time offender – didn't use violence and nor did his actions pose an immediate danger to police officers.

Wong therefore reduced Lau's jail term and ordered him to serve his sentence immediately.