Hong Kong Court Rejects Mental Disorder Defence in Sedition Case
Quick Look
- West Kowloon Court rejected a defence psychiatrist's opinion that Leung Kai-lok, 19, lacked understanding of his anti-government graffiti.
- Leung pleaded guilty to criminal damage but denied sedition under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance for scrawling offensive words against city leaders in a Tsim Sha Tsui toilet.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A 19-year-old was tried for sedition and criminal damage under Hong Kong's Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, with the court rejecting a mental disorder defence regarding his understanding of offensive graffiti.
West Kowloon Court on Wednesday rejected a defence psychiatrist’s opinion that a congenital mental disorder prevented Leung Kai-lok from understanding the offensive words he used against the government and police.
Leung, 19, stood trial earlier this year before a magistrate hand-picked by the city leader to oversee national security proceedings.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage but denied committing a seditious act, an offence under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
The trial heard that the defendant scrawled graffiti inside a men’s toilet in China Hong Kong City in Tsim Sha Tsui between July 17 and 21, 2025. The toilet was located on the same floor where the defendant worked as a part-time clerk at the city’s Vanuatu consulate.
Surveillance footage showed Leung leaving the toilet at around 4pm on July 17 shortly before a cubicle was found with a statement urging former city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her successor John Lee Ka-chiu to die.
Open Questions
- What will be Leung Kai-lok's sentence?
- Will Leung Kai-lok appeal the sedition verdict?
