Former Student Leader Jailed For Nine Months

A former president of Baptist University’s student union, Keith Fong, was on Thursday sentenced to nine months in prison for resisting arrest and perverting the course of justice, in relation to the purchase of laser pointers during the 2019 protests.

The former student leader was convicted of the two charges in February for resisting an officer who tried to arrest him in Sham Shui Po, and resetting his phone before it was seized as evidence in August 2019. 

Fong was however acquitted of possessing offensive weapons.

The defence had called for a fine and a suspended sentence, saying Fong intends to study in the UK in September after being accepted by SOAS University of London and the University of Glasgow.

Fong’s lawyer also submitted mitigation letters from the defendant’s mother, his secondary school principal and others, who described him as an aspirational person who would make great contributions to society in the future. 

But in sentencing, district court judge Douglas Yau said Fong’s actions were premeditated, and only immediate imprisonment could have a deterrent effect.

Given his clean past record, Fong was ordered to serve nine months in jail for the two offences concurrently. 

The judge also noted that Fong should be able to defer his studies and that it would not have too much of an impact on his academic development.