Protesters clash with police outside Legco Building during Legco Finance Committee meeting.A Form Four student was placed on a 12-month probation yesterday for an incident he was involved in June, in which a group of protesters attempted to storm into the Legco building.
The 15-year-old defendant joined hundreds of protesters to storm Legislative Council on June 13 during the continuation of the Legislative Council's Finance Committee debate on a HK$340 million funding request for engineering works linked to plans to build two new towns in the northeastern New Territories.
Protesters had removed hundreds of metal barricades blocking access to the Legco building and about a dozen of protesters attempted to use bamboo sticks to pry open an automated sliding door.
Police officers had responded with use of pepper spray. Protesters kept pushing at the doors behind their open umbrellas in an attempt to protect their faces from the stinging spray.
The student defendant was charged with unlawful assembly and attempting to force into Legco. He pleaded guilty to two charges earlier, according to local media. The Eastern Magistrates' Court decided yesterday that the defendant should also be placed on a curfew.
The defendant told his probation officer that he has exams coming up and that he will concentrate on studying.
The other 13 defendants in the same case has denied the charges. Pre-trial of the case will open on December 22.