Four former members of the Hong Kong University Students' Union who passed a motion in July 2021 to commemorate a man who stabbed a police officer and then committed suicide were on Monday sentenced to 24 months in prison each.

The four defendants – Kinson Cheung, Kwok Wing-ho, Chris Todorovski and Yung Chung-Hei – earlier pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of incitement to wound with intent.

They were originally charged with advocating terrorism under the National Security Law, which was later dropped.

In handing down the sentences, District Court judge Adriana Noelle Tse said there were several aggravating factors, including the offence was committed jointly and planned beforehand. She added that the motion did not fall within the functions of the student council, and that the four defendants had abused their powers as members of the Executive Committee.

Tse also mentioned the roles of the four defendants as student leaders and role models for other young people, saying “their words of incitement are more likely to have an effect on the rest of our community".