2019 radical group leader spent donations on gambling, court hears

The leader of Hong Kong radical group “Dragon Slayers” has admitted to spending crowdfunding donations raised during the 2019 protests and unrest on gambling and a sex worker during his testimony at the city’s first-ever terrorism trial.

Prosecution witness Wong Chun-keung on Thursday told the High Court that he also spent more than HK$200,000 to help his teammates relax, as he denied the defence’s allegations that he swindled donors to “line [his] pockets.”

Seven people are serving on the jury trial under the city’s anti-terrorism act. Prosecutors accuse the defendants of plotting to kill police with two bombs during a lawful rally on December 8, 2019, when the city was embroiled in months-long pro-democracy demonstrations.

Michael Leung, defence counsel for Yim Man-him, drew Wong’s attention to his own Telegram messaging app interactions with a team member named Lam Ming-ho in November 2019, when the group was on holiday in Thailand. Lam stands accused as a co-conspirator in the case but was not arrested.

See also: Leader of 2019 radical protest group was alone in insistence on killing police, court hears at terrorism trial

The records suggested that Wong asked Lam to cover up the fact he called in a sex worker the previous night. Wong said he made the request out of concern that his Thai girlfriend at the time may run into the sex worker accidentally, but added that he did not have sex with the prostitute.

Leung also pointed to several transcripts of Wong’s interviews, made under caution with the police. Regarding the publicity materials released by “Dragon Slayers,” Wong was quoted as saying: “It was simply to enlist someone who could help us write an article, so that we could raise more crowdfunding money.”

“While, in fact, you were a mercenary trying to line your pockets,” the lawyer said, an allegation Wong denied. The hearing was conducted in Cantonese.

The court previously heard that Wong had spent around HK$300,000 to bet on football, and that Wong was the only person in control of the team’s finance.

The witness said the money used on gambling and the sex worker were just “some” of the was the crowdfunding proceeds were used.

He added that he spent more than HK$200,000 on his teammates, on top of paying for the Thailand trip, but he did not keep a record for that spending and did not elaborate.

Six men, including Yim, stand accused of a conspiracy to commit bombings under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance. They face life behind bars if convicted by the jury.

Wong earlier pleaded guilty to the same offence and agreed to testify against the group.

A seventh defendant, Lau Pui-ying, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to provide or collect property to commit terrorist acts, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years behind bars.

Fabrication allegation

Leung on Thursday accused Wong of fabricating his evidence in order to obtain a more lenient sentencing, which the witness also denied.

Leung said Wong had indicated his intention to plead guilty to the police instead of to the judiciary, contrary to proper procedures, even though he had already been provided with legal counsel at the time.

But Wong said the counsels assigned to him via legal aid did not “take [his case] to heart” and he only hired another lawyer after he met with the police, indicating his will to plead guilty.

“I did not possess the legal knowledge at the time… It was the police who told me to hire a lawyer and I was unfamiliar with the procedures,” Wong said. “I don’t have the knowledge to judge, in terms of the law, whether I had committed the offences.”

Leung said he was “unconvinced” by the witness’s testimony, a comment which prompted Judge Judianna Barnes to state was “outrageous.”

“You must remember that you are the one to decide on the case, and do not let the lawyer’s opinion interfere with your reasoning,” Barnes told the panel of nine jurors.

‘Tailor-making’

Separately, Leung said Yim, his client, had wanted to withdraw from the group’s radical protesting since November 2019.

The lawyer referred to multiple Telegram exchanges between Yim and the group, such as one in which Yim declined to join a protest in Sha Tin on November 4 because he was “staying with [his] girlfriend.”

Yim also refused to join the group for preparations on December 7, the day before the planned bombing, which triggered Wong to lash out at him according to the messaging logs read out in court.

“I blamed him because… he was obsessed with dating, and that affected our operations, which were real deal,” Wong said.

But Leung contended that Wong was untruthful in the witness box: “You have been making things up as we go along, tailor-making your evidence as you see fit.” Wong denied.

The lawyer for the fourth defendant, Christian Lee, is expected to begin her cross-examination of Wong when trial resumes on Friday.

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