File photo: CGTN

HONG KONG, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Hong Kong court on Friday sentenced three people to 51, 63 and 66 months in prison for attacking a journalist in 2019.

Lai Yun-long, Amy Pat and Ho Ka-lok were convicted of rioting and assault occasioning actual bodily harm by Hong Kong's District Court. They were also found guilty of other crimes, including possession of offensive weapon and false imprisonment.

The three people participated in confining and assaulting Fu Guohao, a journalist from the Beijing-based Global Times newspaper, at the Hong Kong International Airport on Aug. 13, 2019, in what was considered one of the most atrocious violent incidents during the then social unrest in Hong Kong.

The judge said the crime occurring at the airport damaged the reputation of local youth and disgraced Hong Kong residents.