The District Court on Saturday jailed 10 people for between 50 and 52 months for taking part in a riot in Yau Ma Tei during the 2019 social unrest.

The defendants, aged between 21 and 31, were earlier convicted of rioting on November 18, 2019, when large-scale conflicts took place in the vicinity of the Polytechnic University.

In sentencing, District Judge Josiah Lam noted that protestors had thrown more than 250 petrol bombs at police officers, acts he described extremely violent.

He added that even if the defendants did not take an active role, their presence at the scene could in itself be an encouragement to other rioters.

But there was no evidence showing that the 10 had committed violent acts, and they did not possess any dangerous items or weapons, the judge added.

Lam said he believed that the defendants had learned a hard lesson and there was little likelihood of them committing the offence again.