Court rules prosecutors have failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt Ami Chan carried laser pointers and spray paint for illegal purposes in 2019
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenBrian WongPublished: 5:25pm, 13 Aug 2026A Hong Kong woman who returned from Australia has been acquitted of two charges linked to the 2019 anti-government protests, after a magistrate found insufficient evidence that she was involved in the unrest.Eastern Court ruled on Thursday that prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that casino cashier Ami Chan Hui-ching, 21, carried two laser pointers and three bottles of spray paint for illegal purposes on September 8, 2019.
Magistrate Edward Wong Ching-yu pointed out that there was no demonstration or people gathering when a police constable intercepted the defendant and five men outside a public toilet on Oil Street in Fortress Hill that night.
He noted that Chan, who was just 15 at the time, had not carried any protest paraphernalia or items that could suggest she intended to engage in conflicts or vandalise property.
He also rejected a claim from the constable’s verbal testimony that Chan walked faster after seeing police, saying the officer could not have failed to put that down in his written statement if it were in fact the case.
