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Boy, 12, is youngest convict in Hong Kong protests

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Boy, 12, is youngest convict in Hong Kong protests

People are detained by police near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hung Hom district of Hong… – DALE DE LA REY/AFP via Getty Images

A boy aged 12 has become the youngest person convicted of an offence connected to Hong Kong’s anti-government protests, local media say. The child, who cannot be named, was arrested on his way to school the day after a demonstration in October. He admitted causing criminal damage by spray-painting slogans on a police station and a metro station, and will be sentenced next month.

There have been more than 5,000 arrests since the protests started in June.A number of these have been children between the ages of 12 and 15, although this is the first time one of them has been convicted. Prosecutors told a magistrate’s court that a plain-clothes police officer saw the child spray “damn rogue cops” and “divine annihilation, free HK” on the walls of Mong Kok Police Station and Prince Edward MTR station on 3 October. The officer then followed the boy home and waited outside all night, according to South China Morning Post.

When the child left for school at 07:00 (23:00 GMT) the following morning, the officer intercepted him and conducted a search of his home, where black paint was found.[…]