Man Jailed For 21 Months For Throwing Eggs At Police

A man who threw eggs at police officers and the force's headquarters in Wan Chai during an anti-government protest last year has been jailed for 21 months.

Eastern Court earlier found Pun Ho-chiu, 31, guilty of nine charges, including taking part in an illegal assembly, criminal damage and assaulting a police officer.

Magistrate Winnie Lau said that even though "an egg is not a weapon of mass destruction" and no one was injured, the court has a responsibility to protect police officers carrying out their duties.

Lau said Pun, who is also known as the "painter", played a leading role during the protest on June 21 last year, and his actions were both a nuisance and a threat to the public.

The yolk and shells from the eggs he threw not only made the exterior of the police headquarters dirty, but may also have caused damage to an escalator that was hit, Lau said.

She added that the throwing of eggs at a police station would have provoked discontent with the force, undermining officers’ law-enforcement action and endangering society.

The magistrate said the fact that Pun repeatedly hurled verbal insults at officers increased the gravity of his offence, as what he did could have encouraged other protesters to follow suit.

Pun is best known for his drawing on the streets during the Occupy movement in 2014 and he often appeared half-naked at various protests.