Three-year Jail Terms For Two Mong Kok Rioters

The High Court has sentenced two men to three years in prison for taking part in the 2016 Mong Kok riots, despite pleas of leniency on grounds of mental health issues.

Yung Wai-yip, 35, who suffers from autism, was found guilty in March of two of four rioting charges he faced, and of assaulting a police officer.

The second defendant, 28-year-old Yuen Chi-kui, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), had pleaded guilty to two counts of rioting and one count of arson.

Passing sentence, the judge Albert Wong said he took into account their mental health problems and reduced the starting point of their sentences.

However, the judge said the two had stayed on the streets of Mong Kok for over eight hours and they were well aware of the situation. He added that the two didn’t act on impulse and a deterrent sentence was needed.

Yung is popularly known as "Captain America" as he used to turn up during protests dressed up as the American comic character, complete with a replica of the character's iconic shield.

His lawyer had told the court during the mitigation that his client suffers from autism and may have difficulty following orders from prison officers.

The defence said that although Yung’s overall IQ is 98 – which means his intellectual ability is the same as an average adult – he is weak in terms of his functioning memory and processing speed.