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Brian Wong

A Hong Kong student has been spared jail for seditious acts in breach of the domestic national security law, after a court ruled that his good background, young age and the limited impact of his offences constituted “exceptional circumstances”.
Leung Kai-lok, 19, is the first person to avoid a custodial sentence for violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, although he was incarcerated for four weeks before sentencing.
West Kowloon Court on Wednesday gave the defendant 1½ years of probation after finding him guilty of inciting hatred towards authorities by scrawling anti-government messages in a commercial building toilet last year.
The order requires Leung, who is now pursuing a higher diploma in digital media at a vocational school, to attend psychiatric and psychological counselling and take part in community activities and courses at his probation officer’s instructions.
The court also ordered the student to pay HK$1,500 (US$190) in cleaning expenses to the China Hong Kong City commercial complex in Tsim Sha Tsui.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage for writing graffiti inside a men’s toilet at the complex, where he worked as a part-time clerk for the city’s Vanuatu consulate, between July 17 and 21, 2025.
The student defaced a cubicle with statements of death threats to former leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. He also wrote statements calling for Hong Kong’s “liberation” and condemning police.
Leung denied committing a seditious act on the basis that he had written the offensive words involuntarily due to his impaired mental state. The defendant also claimed to have been coerced into a confession.

Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, who is among those hand-picked by the city leader to oversee national security proceedings, rejected his contention and found that he was neither mentally unstable nor coerced by police into confessing.
In their respective presentencing assessments, a government psychiatrist and clinical psychologist concluded that Leung was autistic and encountered challenges in interpersonal relationships and effective communication with others.
A probation officer said the defendant committed the offences to vent his frustration with his poor results in the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination.
Defence counsel Cyndi Ho urged the court to place the defendant on probation, highlighting his otherwise clean record, strong family support and determination to turn over a new leaf.
The chief magistrate, while highlighting the gravity of a national security offence, agreed the present case was less serious than making seditious comments on social media.
He noted that Leung, despite his poor DSE result, had performed well in primary and secondary schools, and was described by teachers and peers as a diligent and disciplined student who was happy to help those in need.
So also found that Leung could have been misled by “false and lopsided” information during the 2019 anti-government protests, when he was just 12 years old.
“I have not overlooked the gravity of the present case and the need for deterrence in sentencing, but an immediate custodial sentence is not the only way to achieve that,” he said.
“I find that there are exceptional circumstances in the present case that allow me to give the defendant a chance to rehabilitate.”
Sedition carries a maximum jail sentence of seven years under the ordinance.


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Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong student avoids jail for seditious graffiti in commercial complex toilet

West Kowloon Court gave the defendant 1½ years of probation after finding him guilty of inciting hatred towards authorities by scrawling anti-government messages in a commercial building toilet last year. Photo: Jelly Tse

Sedition carries a maximum jail sentence of seven years under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hongkonger, 19, guilty of posting seditious graffiti in commercial complex toilet

West Kowloon Court rejected a psychiatrist’s opinion that a mental disorder prevented Leung Kai-lok from understanding the offensive words he used. Photo: Jelly Tse

The court heard that Leung Kai-lok scrawled graffiti inside a men’s toilet in China Hong Kong City in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Sam Tsang

5 Hong Kong booksellers arrested for alleged sedition released on bail

Police officers remove confiscated items after a raid on Have a Nice Stay bookshop in Hong Kong’s Prince Edward neighbourhood. Photo: Handout

Mandy Lau, one of the owners of Have A Nice Stay, was among five booksellers arrested for alleged sedition on Wednesday. Photo: AP

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Leung Kai-lok, 19, is the first person to avoid a custodial sentence for violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance


Leung Kai-lok, 19, is the first person to avoid a custodial sentence for violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.


Hong Kong’s Article 23 national security law

West Kowloon Court

Hong Kong student avoids jail for seditious graffiti in commercial complex toilet

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Leung Kai-lok, 19, is the first person to avoid a custodial sentence for violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance

Leung Kai-lok, 19, is the first person to avoid a custodial sentence for violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance