Hong Kong man jailed for 7 years after attempting to grab police gun during 2019 protest

A Hong Kong man has been sentenced to seven years of prison after he was convicted over an attempt to snatch a police shotgun during a protest in 2019.

The District Court handed down its maximum sentence on Wednesday when it jailed construction worker Tse Shun-shing, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.

The 31-year-old had admitted to assaulting police and taking part in an unlawful assembly outside Grand Plaza in Mong Kok on October 13, 2019, a day when Hong Kong was rocked by citywide police-protester clashes.

Tse had pleaded not guilty to attempting to grab a shotgun from a police officer, but was convicted after trial.

District Judge Adriana Tse Ching said the limitation of the District Court's sentencing could not sufficiently reflect the protester's criminal liability.

Tse's co-defendant Chan Ka-chun, 18, was sentenced to a rehabilitation centre for resisting arrest, reports said.

As China has strengthened control over Hong Kong through varieties of laws including the draconian National Security Law, the people of the semi-autonomous city are facing increasing policing and crackdown.

Beijing imposed a national security law on June 30 last year as a response to widespread anti-government protests in 2019 that roiled the city.

The protest took place the next day - the first full day under the new law, though civil society groups had held demonstrations on July 1 for years to champion various issues, including democratic rights.

The law criminalises any act of secession (breaking away from China), subversion (undermining the power or authority of the central government), terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with punishments of up to life in prison.

( With inputs from ANI )

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