Five people who pleaded guilty to or were convicted of rioting in Tsim Sha Tsui amid clashes at Polytechnic University in November 2019 have been jailed for 37 to 48 months each.

Handing down the sentences on Wednesday, District Court judge Anthony Kwok noted the defendants were trying to divert police attention to try to assist protesters at Polytechnic University, saying it was an aggravating factor.

Kwok said protesters were charging police cordon lines and transporting petrol bombs and other weapons.

He added that there could have been serious consequences had the petrol bombs been ignited.

In mitigation, lawyers of the defendants said they had good conduct.

The judge said he would not allow public order to be disrupted, adding while it was a tragedy to put defendants with good backgrounds in jail, it's also necessary to give a stern warning to those who break the law.