By Jessie Pang
HONG KONG (Reuters) -A Hong Kong court on Monday sentenced three people to prison terms of up to 18 years over three bomb plots in 2019 and 2020.
In September, a jury found Ho Cheuk-wai, 41, Lee Ka-pan, 31, and Cheung Ka-chun, 35, guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions with intent to endanger life or property.
Ho received a sentence of 18 years, while the other two were sentenced to 16 years and eight months.
Judge Johnny Chan said Ho was the mastermind, showed no remorse, and had no grounds for a reduced sentence. Lee and Cheung, he said, were first-time offenders and were each granted a four-month reduction.
“The court must provide sufficient deterrence, so the need for defendant’s rehabilitation is less important than the former point,” Chan said.
“Also, if remorse is limited or superficial, there’s no way to talk about rehabilitation and correction.”
The defendants were accused of planting a homemade bomb in a hospital toilet at Caritas Medical Centre in Kowloon and of placing a bag containing two bombs on a train at Lo Wu station. Both devices detonated, but no injuries were reported.
A group called “92 Sign” claimed responsibility on the Telegram messaging app, saying it wanted medical workers to strike and the government to close the borders to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
They were also accused of planting a bomb near a car park in a residential neighbourhood ahead of a memorial event for a student who died during the city’s 2019 pro-democracy protests.
The defendants were tried under the United Nations Anti-Terrorism Ordinance, which was implemented in Hong Kong following a Security Council resolution on countering terrorism.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Five other defendants were acquitted.
The trio appeared calm and smiled as the judge handed down the sentence, while their relatives burst into tears in court.
(Reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
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