Democratic Party activist Howard Lam Tsz-kin was sentenced to five months in prison on Friday for misleading police by claiming he had been abducted and abused by mainland plainclothes officers in Hong Kong.

In passing down the sentence, Victor So Wai-tak, chief magistrate of the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, said Lam orchestrated the false kidnapping and showed no remorse for his behavior.

So said Lam misled the public into believing mainland authorities had come to the city to illegally abduct, confine and torture dissidents. This high-profile case clearly sparked considerable concern in society, he added.

On Aug 11, 2017, Lam, accompanied by Democratic Party members, claimed he was kidnapped and tortured by Putonghua-speaking mainland plainclothes police in broad daylight in Mong Kok the previous day.

He told the press that he was subsequently dumped at a beach in Sai Kung. He showed journalists scars on both thighs - allegedly inflicted by staplers. Lam didn't remove the staples until Aug 12 at a public hospital.

In a U-turn of events, Lam was arrested by the Hong Kong police on Aug 15, 2017 after footage from a surveillance camera showed him wandering in Mong Kok safely at the time he claimed he was abducted.

The magistrate, who scrutinized the CCTV footage himself, said Lam wore a mask to conceal his identity after leaving the area where the alleged abduction took place.

Based on his attire and the way the masked man had walked, the judge said he is convinced that it was Lam.

It was obvious that the fake abduction was premeditated as Lam brought the mask with him, the judge continued.

In earlier hearings, forensic pathologist Lai Sai-chak from the Department of Health told the court the scars on Lam were most likely self-inflicted.

Under the Police Force Ordinance, anyone who knowingly misleads a police officer by giving false information or making false statements or accusations is liable to a fine of HK$1,000 ($127) and imprisonment for six months.

Speaking outside the court after the sentence, Senior Inspector of Police Lau Sze-wai, from Kowloon West Regional Headquarters, estimated the investigation cost the public more than HK$1 million and the police 7,000 work hours.

During the investigation, police collected surveillance footage from every shop in the densely populated business center. They had to watch it over and over again to ascertain Lam's movements. The police's hard work led to the arrest of Lam on the fourth day of the investigation.

stuhadow@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 03/16/2019 page8)