Elderly man arrested for criminal damage after red paint splashed on Kwun Tong lawmakers’ office

An elderly man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the entrance to the office of two pro-Beijing lawmakers was splashed with red paint, with the two legislators condemning the “illegal act.”

The Thursday morning arrest came after a police report at around 6am stating that the entrance to the joint office of Legislative Council members Bill Tang and Chan Pui-leung had been splashed with red paint.

Police found that the office, located at the ground floor of Sau Chi House at Sau Mau Ping Estate, had its noticeboard, walls, and metal shutter splattered with paint.

Following an investigation, police arrested the 66-year-old man in Sau Mau Ping on Thursday morning, and he has been detained for investigation. Surveillance footage at the estate shows the man entering a building at the estate, according to the investigation.

The man reportedly claimed his actions were due to the legislators failing to follow up on a complaint he had made earlier.

Condemnation

In a joint statement posted on their social media pages, lawmakers Tang and Chan confirmed that the office had been “vandalised” with red paint. “We strongly condemn these illegal acts and express our gratitude to the police for their swift investigation and arrest,” the statement read.

The lawmakers also said that they had immediately issued reminders and implemented measures to protect the personal safety of office staff and volunteers.

“The office is now operating as usual, continuing to serve the residents of Kwun Tong District and Sau Mau Ping Estate,” the statement continued. They also thanked the public and media for their concern.

Under Hong Kong law, the maximum penalty for a standard criminal damage case not involving intent to endanger another person is 10 years in prison. Cases heard at magistrates’ courts see a maximum of two years’ imprisonment for a single offence.

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.