Ken Tsang Kin-chiu (Chinese: 曾健超; Jyutping: zang1 gin6 ciu1, born 12 July 1975) is a registered social worker who studied journalism at Shue Yan College in the 1990s, and was a member of the Civic Party at the time of the assault.

He was travelling in South America when the Umbrella Movement began in late September 2014, and flew back to Hong Kong to join the protests.

[1] The 2014 protests occurred after the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) issued a decision regarding proposed reforms to the Hong Kong electoral system.

[2] The protests took the form of occupation of major roads in Admiralty, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mong Kok.

The incident occurred near the Central Government Complex in the early morning of 15 October 2014 as the police carried out "Operation Solarpeak" in an attempt to clear the area of protesters.

[4] Tsang was then handed over to six police officers (Wong Cho-shing, Lau Cheuk-ngai, Pak Wing-bun, Lau Hing-pui, Chan Siu-tan, and Kwan Ka-ho; see "trial" below for Chinese names and ranks), who were meant to carry arrested protesters to vehicles parked on Lung Wo Road for transport to the Central Police Station.

[3] Tsang was dumped on the ground in an area later described as the "dark corner" (暗角) and then punched, kicked and stamped on by the police officers for around four minutes.

[4] The video recorded by a Television Broadcasts (TVB) news crew was important to the subsequent conviction of the involved police officers.

When first aired in the early morning, the clip included the original voiceover by the journalist on the scene, who stated Tsang was "kicked and hit by the police".

[5] The redaction worsened concerns of diminishing press freedom in Hong Kong as more media outlets practice self-censorship to avoid running foul of the establishment.

[4][12] The defence counsel put forward a variety of arguments on behalf of their clients, including that the officers might have beaten another protester and not Tsang.

[16] Dufton originally stipulated a jail term of two years and six months for each officer resulting from their joint conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

However, he reduced the sentence by six months after taking into account the circumstances at the time and the high stress environment that police were in handling the protests.

[20] Various pro-Beijing politicians attended including Priscilla Leung, Regina Ip, Maria Tam, Junius Ho, and Elizabeth Quat.

[21] Several pro-Beijing lawmakers, including Priscilla Leung and Ann Chiang, defended the officers, stating that their actions were the result of being provoked by Tsang.

[19] Pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho also tried to justify the crime against Tsang and stated that the police officers should be given community service orders rather than jail time.

[25] The pro-Beijing legislator Wong Kwok-kin also complained of the prison sentencing, and criticised the "yellow heart" of the "white skin" judge, referring respectively to the colour associated with the Umbrella Movement and Dufton's ethnicity.

[23] The Hong Kong Bar Association agreed that the personal attacks on the judge amount to contempt of court, and stated that insulting and threatening words would preclude rational discussion about the case.

[18] The newspaper also stated, "The judge responsible for this case David Dufton is a British person, and Hong Kong's judicial system not only has many judges of foreign nationalities, but many were cultivated by the British Hong Kong government...but this kind of system clearly has room for discussion, which is that the issue of their standpoint may influence their judgements in cases.

The Israeli consulate in Hong Kong stated: "Without relating to the trial of the seven police officers, the alleged statement at the rally that made a reference to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany is inappropriate and regretful.

"[33] Similarly, the German consulate in Hong Kong stated: "The reported reference to the Holocaust shows a regrettably insufficient knowledge of historical facts.

[36] On July 26 2019, the Court of Appeal found two of the seven police officers not guilty and they were allowed to walk free, while the other five had their sentences further reduced by 6-9 months.