Hong Kong retiree given 200 hours of community service for spraying workers with disinfectant over Typhoon Mangkhut repairs
- Ng Heung-man, 55, was frustrated because lobby ceiling, which had been damaged in monster storm, was not being fixed
- Former masseur also has to pay HK$500 in compensation for striking table in management office with knife during confrontation
A Hong Kong retiree who sprayed workers with disinfectant because he was upset about the pace of repairs to his typhoon-hit residence last year was ordered on Monday to do 200 hours of community service.
Ng Heung-man, 55, also struck a table in the management office with a knife when he confronted the staff there on September 20 last year. He was ordered to pay HK$500 (US$64) in compensation.
Tuen Mun Court heard earlier that Ng’s rage arose from his dissatisfaction that staff at the management office of Villa Tiara in Tuen Mun put up decorations for the Mid-Autumn Festival but did not fix the ceiling of the lobby in his building, which had been damaged by Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon to hit Hong Kong since 1964.
With winds hitting a maximum speed of 250km/h, Mangkhut tore through the city on September 17, breaking windows and toppling more than 1,000 trees. The typhoon signal No 10, Hong Kong’s highest such warning, was in place for 10 hours at the time.
Last month, Ng pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault, one of criminal damage and one of possessing an instrument fit for unlawful purposes.
Sentencing the retiree on Monday, acting principal magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei called his acts “foolish and naive”.
“Refrain from being so impulsive in the future,” she told him. “Otherwise, there will be consequences for one to bear.”
Chui ordered Ng to serve a community service order after a report she sought on him from a probation officer painted him in a positive light.
The court had heard that Ng made several complaints to the management office about the damaged ceiling but received no response. When he saw ornaments being put up for the Mid-Autumn Festival, he lodged another complaint on September 20.
After being given the cold shoulder again, he returned with a knife and smacked a table in the management office once. He then turned to two repairmen, who were working at the time, and sprayed them with disinfectant.
The liquid hit a security guard, who stepped in to stop Ng, the court heard.
Ng’s lawyer previously said in mitigation that the former masseur, who had been forced to retire early due to problems with his fingers, lost his temper because the repairmen insulted him by accusing him of living off his wife’s earnings.
