A Hong Kong Police Force media liaison officer speaks at a protest site. Photo: Courtesy of Hong Kong Police Force

Hong Kong's Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts convicted a woman of assaulting a police officer and sentenced her to three months' imprisonment. At a court hearing last month, the 28-year-old woman denied pointing a laser pen in a police officer's eye.

The magistrate expressed confidence that the officer had correctly identified the accused woman. Meanwhile, the magistrate did not believe that the defendant, who was wearing a mask at the time, was simply a passerby.

According to Hong Kong media reports, the magistrate also noted that the police officers had made a great contribution to Hong Kong's society, and that a lighter sentence would increase the difficulties of law enforcement. Therefore, the magistrate rejected the defendant's proposal of social service and sentenced her to imprisonment.

Surnamed Kuo, the woman was a former flight attendant. She was charged with assaulting a police officer in Tsim Sha Tsui

The magistrate noted that the only dispute in the case was whether the defendant was the person who had pointed a laser pen in the police officer's eye.

The defendant said the police officer claimed to have been exposed to a laser pointer for less than a second but the written statement said it lasted for three seconds, and the line of sight was affected, making it hard to confirm appearance.

The magistrate explained that the difference between the police officer's testimony and the written statement was due to the comprehensive question he received, which aroused more memories. The magistrate described him as honest and trustworthy. In addition, the defendant tried to use a laser pen to point at the police officer twice, which was conducive to identification.

The defendant struggled during the arrest and lost the laser pointer, said the magistrate, noting video footage also showed protesters attacking the police officer with umbrellas and other items. 

Therefore, the magistrate ruled that the defendant had intended to injure a police officer by shining a laser pen on him, which constituted assault. 

Eyes are a vulnerable part of the human body and it was lucky that the officer was not injured, but the prison sentence was unavoidable, said the magistrate.

Although the woman was jailed for three months, she was granted HK$20,000 bail pending an appeal.