War of words: retired Hong Kong security guard convicted of graffiti attacks on court buildings
A retired security guard was yesterday convicted of causing criminal damage by writing on the walls of court buildings and the Legal Aid Department.
Chan Tin-fong, 68, claimed in his self-defence during the trial that he had not caused damage to the properties because the words could be cleaned off.
But magistrate Jason Wan Siu-ming said the definition of criminal damage in law was that the actions caused temporary or permanent damage to a property or lowered its value.
"Even though the words could be cleaned, they have already lowered the value of the properties," Wan said.
Chan was accused of damaging the walls and doors of courtrooms at the Small Claims Tribunal in Wan Chai and the High Court and Legal Aid Department in Admiralty. Wan said Chan knew what he was doing as he did not dispute witness evidence.
The prosecution said that between 6.31am and 7.18am on April 22, Chan sprayed the words "pay back the money" 18 times on the buildings.
A video clip played in Eastern Court showed that Chan had admitted to police officers that he was not satisfied with the Legal Aid Department, and protested against its "incompetency".
Chan, who was not legally represented, had argued in court earlier: "What damages are they? Just some words on the walls that can be cleaned. It is fine as long as you clean them."
Remanding Chan to Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre, the magistrate adjourned the case to September 4 for sentencing, pending two psychiatric reports. The court heard that Chan consulted psychiatrists about 10 years ago.
