Brit tycoon guilty after 'politically motivated' case

MINISTERS have condemned a “politically motivated prosecution” after a British media tycoon was convicted of conspiracy and sedition charges in Hong Kong.

- BY DAVID LYNCH

Jimmy Lai was found guilty by a court under the territory’s Beijing-imposed national security law.

The pro-democracy activist set up the now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily and has long been a persistent critic of the Chinese regime.

He was arrested in 2020 under legislation brought in after major anti-Beijing protests of the previous year and has spent much of the time since in solitary confinement.

Targeted

Mr Lai, 78, denied all the charges. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper criticised the outcome, saying: “The UK condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai that has resulted in today’s guilty verdict.