Hong Kong: A Hong Kong court has handed down prison sentences of up to 18 years to three men involved in a series of bomb plots during 2019 and 2020.
Lukas Ho, 41, described by the judge as the mastermind behind the plots, received an 18-year jail term. Judge Johnny Chan said Ho had an ‘inflated ego’ and showed ‘no genuine remorse,’ posing a continued threat to public safety.
Chan remarked that, “The court must provide sufficient deterrence, so the need for the defendant’s rehabilitation is less important than the former point. Also, if remorse is limited or superficial, there’s no way to talk about rehabilitation and correction.”
Ho’s co-defendants, Lee Ka-pan and Cheung Ka-chun, were sentenced to 16 years and eight months each. The judge noted both were first-time offenders and granted them four-month sentence reductions.
The trio was convicted over two incidents, a homemade bomb explosion in a hospital toilet in January 2020 and the discovery of explosive devices at a railway station the following month. No casualties were reported in either case. Prosecutors said the bomb plots were intended to pressure authorities into closing Hong Kong’s borders in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the virus spread across mainland China.
During sentencing, the three men appeared calm, exchanging smiles with friends and family in the courtroom as guards led them away. Five other defendants linked to the same case were acquitted by a jury last month.
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