An alleged core member of the “Dragon Slaying Brigade” behind a thwarted bomb plot targeting police officers has denied using any violence in the 2019 Hong Kong unrest, claiming he was only standing as an observer in some of the conflicts to document events.
Christian Lee Ka-tin, when being cross-examined by the prosecutor in the High Court on Monday, also said his seemingly active participation in the brigade’s group chat related to the protests was mere “chit-chat” with members and he had no intention of inflicting violence during the demonstrations.
He and five other defendants – Cheung Chun-fu, Cheung Ming-yu, Yim Man-him, Lai Chun-pong and Justin Hui Cham-wing – have denied involvement in the plot to plant two bombs in Wan Chai on December 8, 2019.
Lee was questioned by prosecutor Juliana Chow Hoi-ling over a series of messages on the brigade’s Telegram channel that suggested he took part in a demonstration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in November 2019.
The court heard multiple audio messages from Lee to the group, asking whether any members would come to the university campus, with one message saying “it was fun” to witness the clash between protesters and police.
Chow questioned whether Lee asked his teammates who had no protective gear to go to the campus and if he was really only there to “stand on the side and witness”. Lee responded “yes’ to both questions.
“You seriously want to tell the jury and us that you wanted to detach yourself from the brigade as you would not use violence during protests but they would?” Chow said.
Lee agreed again, adding he was bluffing in the group chat when he said he would teach the members how to shoot an arrow.
The defendant told the court that he stayed overnight at the campus for the sole purpose of “observing” and filming for a documentary.
The court was earlier told that he was studying for a higher diploma at Baptist University’s film academy at the time.
Chow pointed out that Lee interacted frequently with the group during his time at CUHK, with one audio message played in court of Lee swearing at the individuals who kept weapons in a secret place.
Lee explained he only took issue with those who did not come forward to stop police from shooting at protesters, saying he found these people “unethical” because they left demonstrators vulnerable when confronting officers.
He denied he had any demands of the government when taking part in the demonstrations.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
