UK China protester found guilty

Mr Pearce was also found guilty of causing a public nuisance in 2006

A British man has been found guilty of causing a public nuisance after hanging banners on a Hong Kong bridge in protest at China's human rights record.

Matt Pearce, 33, a Bristol teacher living in Hong Kong, wore a horse's head and unfurled banners calling for "freedom from oppression" last year.

The two-hour protest on the Tsing Ma Bridge took place on the day of the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony.

Mr Pearce denied causing a public nuisance but was later found guilty.

He was remanded in custody for two weeks by the Hong Kong court and is due to be sentenced on 30 March.

He was cleared of a separate charge of common assault.

If more people started doing what I am doing then it would be quite a big problem for the government Matt Pearce British teacher

Mr Pearce, a veteran protester, staged his demonstration on the key bridge on 8 August, causing major traffic congestion.

But despite the threat of going to jail, he says he will continue to protest in the future.

"I believe in what I am doing and the style and approach and the strategy I am adopting is what I think is exactly what Hong Kong needs," he said.

"I am hoping that I will influence some of the other activists here and if more people started doing what I am doing then it would be quite a big problem for the government."

He said he had not been against the Olympic Games, but wanted to highlight "human rights, freedom and democracy".

Tiananmen Square

After a previous protest in 2005, Mr Pearce was sentenced to 21 days in a Hong Kong prison after being found guilty of causing a public nuisance.

But the sentence was suspended for 18 months after an appeal hearing.

Mr Pearce had dressed as Spiderman and climbed onto a giant TV screen in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings.

His stunt caused major traffic congestion for two hours in the city.

Mr Pearce also received a suspended jail sentence for causing a public nuisance after protesting in a horse costume at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup race at Sha Tin Racecourse in 2004.