District Judge Kwok Wai-kin has been taken off protest-related cases for the time being after making sympathetic remarks to a man who stabbed three people at a Lennon Wall.
Kwok, who described defendant Tony Hung as a “bloodstained victim” and likened protesters to a “terrorist army”, sparked outrage in the pro-democracy crowd, with netizens calling on each other to file complaints to the judiciary.
Yesterday afternoon, Kwok was scheduled to hear a case about a 31-year-old taxi driver who was accused of conspiring to commit arson with 40 petrol bombs, but was replaced by Chief District Judge Justin Ko at the last minute. SCMP reports that neither the prosecution or the defense was given prior notice of the change.
Last night, a judiciary spokesman said to local media that Ko made the arrangements after noticing that a case handled by Kwok had led to “controversial discussions” among Hongkongers.
Pro-democracy advocate Ventus Lau, who previously said that the “rule of law [was] dead” when Kwok’s comments were publicized, commended the judiciary for taking action. “This is a good start,” Lau wrote on Facebook. “Although [this doesn’t mean that] the rule of law has suddenly come back to life, at least there is one less red judge in charge.”
Last Friday, Hung pleaded guilty to three counts of wounding with intent at the District Court. The 51-year-old, who had worked as a tour guide before the protests broke out last June, said he had been out of work for two months and “emotional” when he attacked two women and one man in front of a Lennon Wall in Tseung Kwan O.
All three victims were hospitalized, with one woman — a 26-year-old reporter for the Hong Kong Economic Journal — remaining in critical condition for a significant period of time. She suffered a collapsed lung and neck and back wounds and reportedly developed post-traumatic stress after the incident.
During mitigation, Hung said in a written statement that he accepted his responsibility and expressed concern for his victims, which Kwok said were “noble sentiments”. Kwok then sentenced Hung to 45 months in jail — a drastic reduction from the starting point of six years’ imprisonment.
