Hong Kong student avoids jail for seditious graffiti in commercial complex toilet

Leung Kai-lok, 19, is potentially the first person to avoid a custodial sentence for violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance

West Kowloon Court on Wednesday gave the defendant 1½ years of probation after finding him guilty of inciting hatred towards authorities by scrawling anti-government messages in a commercial building toilet last year.

The order requires Leung, who is now pursuing a higher diploma in digital media at a vocational school, to attend psychiatric and psychological counselling and take part in community activities and courses at his probation officer’s instructions.

The court also ordered the student to pay HK$1,500 (US$190) in cleaning expenses to the China Hong Kong City commercial complex in Tsim Sha Tsui.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage for writing graffiti inside a men’s toilet at the complex, where he worked as a part-time clerk for the city’s Vanuatu consulate, between July 17 and 21, 2025.