- They were part of a group of seven accused of assaulting activist Ken Tsang
- Action was a last attempt to clear their names at the top court
Hong Kong's top court on Tuesday turned down the request of five police officers jailed for beating a pro-democracy activist during the 2014 Occupy protests to lodge a final appeal.
The five officers " Chief Inspector Wong Cho-shing, 52; Senior Inspector Lau Cheuk-ngai, 33; Detective Sergeant Pak Wing-bun, 46; and 35-year-old detective constables Chan Siu-tan and Kwan Ka-ho " made their last attempts to clear their names at the Court of Final Appeal, arguing they had suffered grave injustices during court proceedings that began five years ago.
They were part of a group of seven who stood trial in 2016 and 2017 after being charged with assaulting Ken Tsang Kin-chiu in Admiralty, the main venue of the 79-day civil disobedience campaign for greater democracy in 2014.
Tsang testified that, after he was arrested and carried to an electricity substation near the government headquarters, officers kicked and punched him, and beat him with batons.
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All seven were found guilty at the District Court and were jailed for two years in 2017. After an appeal, Constable Lau Hing-pui, 42, and Detective Constable Wong Wai-ho, 40, were acquitted last year.
The remaining five were sent back to jail but their terms were reduced to between 15 and 18 months.
Having served their sentences, the five were not required to appear in court, but Wong Cho-shing showed up on Tuesday to hear the ruling by Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li and justices Roberto Ribeiro and Andrew Cheung Kui-nung.
More to follow
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