Former media tycoon Jimmy Lai on Monday returned to court alongside eight co-defendants as defence lawyers began mitigation arguments in proceedings expected to last up to four days. The Apple Daily founder, 78, was convicted last month by a three-judge bench of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a third charge of conspiracy to print seditious material. The prosecution read to the court details of a recent medical report of Lai, which concludes that his health condition is "stable". Prosecutor Anthony Chau said the defendant’s weight was recorded at 79.2kg this month, compared to 80kg when he was admitted to the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre in December 2020. Lai's counsel Robert Pang told the court that the 78-year-old suffers from hypertension, diabetes, and a blocked vein in the eye, among other conditions. He noted that records showed his client’s weight had fluctuated by 11kg during his detention. Pang also asserted that being in solitary confinement during his five-year detention was an "additional burden" for Lai, but the prosecutor pointed out that this arrangement was "made out of his own will". Presiding judges Esther Toh and Alex Lee also stressed that this was a voluntary choice, with the latter saying: "It’s not an additional punishment imposed on him. "He can always end that treatment if chooses to." The bench also heard mitigation submissions from three co-defendants who testified in the witness box, including former Apple Daily publisher Cheung Kim-hung, paralegal Wayland Chan, and activist Andy Li. Cheung’s lawyer asked for a sentence reduction of at least 55 percent and for the court to consider that the publisher’s offence was not of a grave nature, to which judge Lee said the request "may be a bit too unrealistic". Lawyers for Chan and Li, separately, urged the bench to consider a 50 percent reduction, noting neither was the mastermind behind the conspiracy. The court also discussed how the corporate defendants, namely Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited and AD Internet Limited, would be fined. Judge Lee sought to clarify the circumstances regarding the companies, while lawyer Jon Wong, representing the firms, said the firms are "insolvent" but haven't been wound up. Other co-defendants are former Apple Daily staff members: associate publisher Chan Pui-man, editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, and editorial writers Fung Wai-kong and Yeung Ching-kee.