CHRIS LAU CHRIS.LAU@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Monday, 03 August, 2015, 1:20pm
UPDATED : Monday, 03 August, 2015, 1:22pm
Yiu Yau-pik, seen after being convicted at an earlier hearing. Photo: Chris Lau
A newspaper stand owner who was this morning ordered to perform 120 hours of community service for throwing an egg at lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung during Occupy protests in Hong Kong last year said he would not apologise, despite “feeling remorseful”.
Leaving Eastern Court, Yiu Yau-pik, 45, who claimed earlier that the 79-day protest had taken a toll on his business, instead, questioned why Leung did not offer him an apology.
“He divided the people and urged them to stage the Occupy protests,” Yiu said.
Yiu admitted earlier to one count of common assault over an egg he tossed at Leung outside the Legislative Council Complex on October 30.
Leung's t-shirt was stained in the attack. Photo: Dickson Lee
His reluctance to apologise was in contrast to what he told the probation officer assigned to him earlier – that he was remorseful – according to a report Magistrate Lee Siu-ho yesterday quoted.
Asked to clarify outside court, Yiu said he would not have thrown the egg in hindsight, but counter-accused Leung of being an egg-thrower himself.
The court heard earlier that the attack was a result of an altercation in which Yiu called Leung “a traitor to the country”.
Yiu threw one egg which landed on Leung’s chest, staining the lawmaker’s t-shirt. Three other unknown men then flung at least three more eggs at Leung. Yiu claimed the protests had affected his earnings.
Magistrate Lee, who said earlier that the attack was premeditated, said yesterday that no one, including Yiu, should use violence on others because of their difference in opinion.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846079/newspaper-salesman-given-community-service-throwing-egg
