The Department of Justice has said it will not file an appeal after former lawmaker Raymond Wong Yuk-man was acquitted of assaulting then-chief executive Leung Chun-ying.
The case surrounded an incident in July 2014 when Wong allegedly hurled a glass at Leung in the Legislative Council chamber. He was sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment after being convicted of assault in October 2016. Last month, however, he won an appeal against his conviction.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that there was no legal basis to file an appeal after considering the reasons given in the judgment and a report from the prosecutor.
In her 17-page judgment, High Court judge Judianna Barnes Wai-ling wrote that there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal act or criminal intent.
Barnes wrote that the testimony of Leung Chun-ying was not supported by the CCTV footage, since Leung did not “freeze” as he claimed after hearing the glass hit the floor.
She also wrote that she cannot preclude the possibility that Wong intended to throw water at legislature’s president’s stand at the time.
The ruckus took place during a question-and-answer session. After Leung entered the chamber, Wong repeatedly threw papers at the chief executive, despite efforts by several security guards to stop him.
The Office of the Chief Executive alerted the police following the incident. The day after, Wong said that he had planned to throw water, but the glass slipped out of his hand. He surrendered himself to the police the same day.
