Hong Kong court hands down lengthy jail terms over 2019–2020 bomb plots

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court has sentenced three men to prison terms of up to 18 years for their roles in a series of bomb plots carried out during 2019 and 2020.

Lukas Ho, 41, identified by the court as the ringleader, received the heaviest sentence of 18 years. In delivering the verdict on Monday, High Court Judge Johnny Chan described Ho as having an “inflated ego” and showing “no remorse,” adding that his actions posed a “risk to public safety.”

“The court must provide sufficient deterrence,” Chan said. “The need for rehabilitation is less important when remorse is limited or superficial.”

Ho’s co-defendants, Lee Ka-pan and Cheung Ka-chun, were each sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison. Judge Chan noted that both were first-time offenders and granted them a four-month reduction from their original sentences.

The trio, who remained calm during sentencing and smiled at friends and family in the public gallery, were convicted over two incidents in early 2020.

A homemade bomb exploded in a hospital toilet in January that year, and additional explosive devices were discovered at a railway station the following month. No one was injured in either case.

Prosecutors said the plots were part of an effort to pressure authorities into closing Hong Kong’s borders as COVID-19 began spreading from mainland China.

Five other defendants tried in the same case were acquitted last month.