Hong Kong student spared jail over seditious toilet graffiti
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A Hong Kong court has spared 19-year-old student Leung Kai-lok from an immediate jail term after convicting him of a seditious act under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and accepting his guilty pleas to three criminal damage charges. West Kowloon Court instead imposed 1½ years of probation, after ruling that his good background, young age and the limited impact of the offences amounted to exceptional circumstances. Leung had already spent four weeks in custody before sentencing, and is potentially the first person to avoid a custodial sentence for breaching the domestic national security law. The case arose from anti-government graffiti written in a men’s toilet at China Hong Kong City in Tsim Sha Tsui between July 17 and 21, 2025.
Key Points
- Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak sentenced Leung to 18 months of probation at West Kowloon Court on Wednesday instead of sending him to jail.
- The probation order requires the digital media student to attend psychiatric and psychological counselling, plus community activities and courses directed by his probation officer.
- Leung pleaded guilty to three criminal damage counts for graffiti written while he worked part-time for Vanuatu’s consulate in the complex.
- The messages included death threats against former leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, calls for Hong Kong’s “liberation” and criticism of police.
- The court rejected Leung’s claims that he wrote involuntarily because of mental impairment and that police had coerced his confession.
Why It Matters
The ruling shows that even in national security cases, Hong Kong courts may still consider probation where they find exceptional circumstances tied to age, background and the offence’s limited impact. It also marks a notable sentencing outcome under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, because Leung is described as potentially the first offender to avoid a custodial term for such a breach.