On every day of Law Chun-kit’s trial, his mother always sat on the front row in a full courtroom, her brows furrowed and her face taut. Every time the court adjourned, she leaned in close and spoke in the ear of her 20-year-old son: “if you can’t hear, you must ask.”

Suffering from a profound hearing loss of 90 and 120 decibels in each ear respectively, Law relies heavily on his hearing aid. But even with it, he had trouble deciphering the questions of the prosecutor and mistakenly agreed to statements he could barely hear.

Law was arrested during a protest in Causeway Bay on the International Day of Democracy in September last year, where he yanked a pepper spray canister out of an officer’s hands, resulting in both of them falling to the ground.

After being surrounded by 10 riot cops, he had his hearing aid and face mask torn off and was pepper-sprayed in the face. Baton blows landed on his head, back and feet, he and a witness testified. The latter had intervened, shielding Law from some of the blows in fear that his life would be in danger, the court heard. Officers refuted the claim, though a medical report showed Law’s left ribs were fractured and his right ribs displaced.

On Tuesday, Law was sentenced to rehabilitation center for police assault.

Law’s mother divorced her abusive husband when Law was only five. A new immigrant from Chinese without work, she had no choice but to leave her son with his father – a decision that has brought her depression and guilt that linger even until now. “I still feel like I owe him a lot,” she says.

The mother and son finally reunited seven years later, after his father passed away. The 12-year-old boy quickly opened up. He often cooked for his mom, with a knack for eggs, be it sunny-side up or steamed custard. Law’s cheery liveliness and the many simple but delightful weekends of playing badminton and biking together have slowly lifted her out of depression.

Then one day in 2015, she received a call from her son: “Mom, I can’t hear.” Since then, their lives have become preoccupied with trips to different doctors and hospitals, sometimes taking up four days a week. She decided to quit her job to spend more time with him. “None of the check-ups offered any explanation. A cyst was found in his brain, but we didn’t know if it was directly related to the hearing loss,” she recalls. A doctor has suggested a brain operation to take a sample for tests, but she was wary of the risk.

Even with his hearing aid, Law’s life was turned upside down. “He stayed home all the time, stopped contacting his friends and dared not go out. He couldn’t communicate with others.” Not even with his mom. “We sometimes communicated by writing, but that was challenging because I was educated in simplified Chinese. I cannot read traditional Chinese characters,” she sighs.

She always bears with him in patience even when he loses his temper, the same way she has treated his hyperactivity disorder as well as speech and language impairment. “I would speak slower and louder, close to his ears. You can never rush.”

Once during a trip in the Chinese city of Dongguan, a pickpocket snatched her wallet and she immediately ran after him, only to remember she could not leave her son alone. She stopped chasing and watched the thief go free. Feeling her frustration, Law consoled her, “When I grow up, I will be a police officer and catch all the bad guys.”

“That’s why I never believe that my son would assault police,” the mother asserts.

On Sept. 15, 2019, she rushed to the police station in North Point after receiving a call informing her of his arrest, where she found him with injuries to his face, neck and shoulders. “His eyes were so red. He was so scared, he couldn’t speak.”

Law was asked to copy a document, confessing his guilt. Officers assured Law’s mother that they were not taking an official statement and the confession would lead to a milder sentence. She believed them, unwary of the implications. “I am not educated. I didn’t know in Hong Kong, you can choose not to speak when taking a statement. I used to think police officers would not deceive you. I only realized then it is not true,” she says.

At the court, Law’s lawyer complaint that officers intimidated and deceived the boy during the statement-taking. The defendant clarified his account under re-examination, but Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong refused to believe him. He chided Law for contradicting himself, accusing him of exaggerating and making up lies.

“Throughout the trial, no one has treated my son like a hearing-impaired person,” Law’s mother slams. Like many others with profound hearing loss, Law relies on the combined use of a hearing aid and lip-reading, which was impossible during the trial given everyone was required to wear a mask.

Despite her objection, “I could not say anything because this is the court,” she says. “[The magistrate] never actually listened to my son.” The court never sought an expert’s opinion to evaluate his hearing ability either.

When Law was remanded in custody at the Pik Uk Correctional Institution in Sai Kung, his mother commuted four hours each day for a 15-minute visit to see her son. “He asked me not to visit every day. But I was worried he would be bullied. I told him to keep calm no matter what he encountered and do not get into conflict with others.”

“Your only fault was appearing at the wrong place at the wrong time,” she told him.

She did not shed a single tear throughout the trial, not even when the sentence was announced. But right before her son was led away, he looked towards her and yelled, “Happy birthday, mum!” And she could no longer hold it back.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play