Jimmy Lai verdict: Hong Kong court to decide on national security charges against pro-democracy figure – live | Jimmy Lai

As is usual in these national security cases, there is a large police presence outside the West Kowloon district court.

There are about two hours left until the sentencing hearing begins, and there are plainclothes and uniformed officers everywhere, as well as a huge press corps. But for the general public the queue is smaller than I’ve seen before.

Big days for other trials, such as the day Lai testified and Hong Kong 47, attracted hundreds of people wanting to attend. But today there are probably less than 100. At least half of them were here when I arrived around 22:00 last night.

Some passersby claimed they were paid by pro-Beijing groups to sit in the queue and reserve seats that would normally be taken by supporters of the defendants or foreign diplomatic observers. I tried to ask them why they were here, but they all refused to talk to me and hid behind umbrellas or blankets.

a man, SimonHe said he wanted to “give Jimmy Lai and his wife some support.”

“I believe this will be a bad outcome,” he said.

They want to put him in jail.

Simon did not spend the night there but returned again around 6am this morning. He and a friend are holding bright red apples, representing the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, which Lai founded and is among other defendants.