Former Hong Kong auditor jailed for 10 months for inciting violence against TVB reporters
- Fan Shi-man, 29, convicted of two counts of incitement over comments he posted online in November 2019 and May 2020
- He called watching TVB a ‘sin’ and said he supported attacks on its reporters
“Press freedom is an important facet of society. No individual can be allowed to intimidate frontline reporters because of how they frame their stories,” Tsui said.
Last month, Fan was convicted of two counts of incitement over comments he posted on the city’s popular forum LIHKG in November 2019 and May the following year.
Some people had “seized upon the opportunity” to paralyse traffic in various districts, the broadcaster said without giving further details.
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In response to comments that called for attacks on TVB senior executives, Fan suggested there was no need to differentiate between employees of different ranks and that everyone from the company’s news division should be assaulted on sight.
The then auditor also took part in another discussion about how TVB portrayed the conflicts that occurred in the Legislative Council on May 8, 2020.
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Scuffles at Hong Kong’s Legislative Council over control of House Committee meeting
A Legco meeting that day descended into scuffles after opposition lawmakers mounted a months-long filibustering campaign in a key committee in their push for the government to give in to protesters’ demands.
Footage showed former People Power chairman Raymond Chan Chi-chuen being pulled by the collar and dragged to the ground by his pro-Beijing rival, Kwok Wai-keung, of the Federation of Trade Unions.
But TVB said in a report that Chan “struggled with Kwok” before he “fell down”. Another report said Kwok pulled on Chan’s collar after the latter charged towards security officers.
Fan called watching TVB a “sin” and said he had always supported attacks on its reporters.
“I have always felt that we should cripple those b******s. That will make sure they chicken out and never produce fake news again,” the defendant said.
Earlier this year, Fan told the court he was merely venting his frustration without intending to instigate radical actions.
Deputy judge Tsui rejected such a statement after finding the comments were deliberately published on an open forum to encourage others to use violence.
Fan had worked for two accounting firms since 2018 before he resigned in June in preparation for the trial, Monday’s court hearing revealed.
Defence lawyers called for leniency and said Fan’s conviction would likely bar him from becoming an accountant in the future.
Tsui highlighted Fan had committed a serious offence that deserved a deterrent sentence, but agreed that the accused did not propose concrete plans nor lead to any actual assaults.
Fan will serve seven months in prison for inciting others to commit common assault and 10 months for incitement to wound with intent, with the judge ordering both terms to run concurrently.
