Hong Kong man and teenager sentenced for desecrating Beyond singer’s grave

A Hong Kong man and a teenager have been sentenced to serve time in a detention center and a rehabilitation center respectively after pleading guilty to desecrating the grave of late Beyond singer Wong Ka-kui.

Chief Justice Victor So sentenced 23-year-old Yip Tsz-ho and a 15-year-old student, whose identities were protected because they were minors, on Tuesday morning after the two admitted to committing vandalism at Wong’s grave at the Tseung Kwan O Chinese Cemetery in May.

According to local media reports, the 15-year-old student threw Coca-Cola on the grave, hit Wong’s photo on the grave with a hammer and chewed the flowers around the grave. Yip, an air conditioning technician, is said to have filmed the incident.

A defense attorney argued for a non-custodial sentence, telling the court that the student suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and obsessive compulsive disorder. Yip, on the other hand, is easily influenced by others and his three weeks in custody had already been a “painful lesson,” his lawyer said.

In delivering the verdict, So criticised the two for their offensive and “quite disgraceful” behaviour at the cemetery, a place where people pay their last respects to their deceased loved ones. The student had committed the crime to gain notoriety, while Yip had broken the law while on bail for another fraud case.

The chief judge cited a report which said the minor had been under the influence of “evil characters” and had joined an alliance over the past year that promoted disruptive behaviour.

As a result, Yip was eventually ordered to be placed in a detention centre, an alternative to prison for male offenders aged between 14 and 24. He is expected to spend three months to a year in the facility, depending on his behaviour while in custody.

The student was sent to a rehabilitation center where he was held full-time for two to five months. After that, he was required to live in the rehabilitation center for one to four months. During this time, he was allowed to leave home for approved activities such as study and work.

Formed in 1983, rock band Beyond quickly gained popularity in Hong Kong and abroad. The death of the band’s lead singer Wong during the filming of a television show in Japan in 1993 shocked fans around the world. The band disbanded in 2005.

Some of Beyond’s songs like Limitless oceans, wide skies And The glory years was associated with the democracy movement in Hong Kong and was sung by protesters at demonstrations. Both songs refer to freedom in their lyrics.

The videos of the grave desecration sparked anger and grief among Beyond’s fans and former members. Fans, including those from mainland China, went to the grave to pay their last respects to the late artist, local media reported.

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