Retiree Jailed For 42 Months Over Petrol Bombs

A man has been jailed for three and a half years for throwing petrol bombs at a police residential quarters in Sheung Shui last year, with the judge saying the defendant ought to "turn his hostility into calmness".

Wong Kam-chuen, who's in his 60s, admitted throwing the petrol bombs in March, 2020.

District Court judge Clement Lee said on Tuesday that Wong had carried out a "direct assault on the rule of law", saying a deterrent sentence was needed because arson is a serious crime.

Although no one was hurt, the judge said the incident could have posed an even greater risk to residents of the quarters because it took place in the early hours of the morning.

He noted that one of the three petrol bombs thrown had hit a car parked inside the quarters, and said that could have led to an explosion.

Lee said he accepted that the defendant was good to his family and was willing to shoulder responsibility for his actions.

He told Wong that trying to take revenge against police officers and their families would only cause more "sins", saying the defendant would only achieve inner peace if he turned his hostility into calmness.

Earlier, Wong's lawyers said he had committed the crime on impulse, saying he was disturbed by the clashes between police and protesters since 2019 and wanted to show he was on the side of young people.