Kwok has heard a number of prominent protest-related cases including one involving nine defendants charged with rioting during the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest in which he jailed 19-year-old Mo Jia-tao for more than four years – the heaviest of 10 sentences. Kwok rejected suggestions of political motivation raised during mitigation, such as the labelling of "a political demonstration" or the defendants’ alignment with localist ideas due to their frustration following the collapse of the 2014 Occupy protests. "Without doubt, the court will not join this political debate," Kwok repeatedly stressed. He also stressed the "collective responsibility" as each individual's mere presence "provided comfort, support and encouragement" to others at the scene.