Warder charged over smuggling for inmate
A prison officer will go on trial in the District Court today on charges of accepting advantages to smuggle glasses, a pager, hair-styling spray and naked photographs of an inmate's wife into Stanley Prison.
So Lap-chung, assistant correctional services officer at the high-security jail, was arrested by officers of the Independent Commission Against Corruption last December.
He is accused of taking money from Cheung Lai-shan, the wife of inmate Choi Wai-kwong, to smuggle in seven items between March and December last year.
The items included a pair of Calvin Klein glasses, a pair of Oakley glasses and another pair worth a total of $4,930, a $1,000 pager that could receive horse racing and soccer betting messages, the hair-styling spray and 20 photos, including 18 naked pictures of Ms Cheung.
The pictures are alleged to have been taken in on two occasions in July and August but were returned to Ms Cheung at Choi's request.
Prosecutors say the defendant contacted Ms Cheung by phone after she was refused permission to give the Calvin Klein glasses to her husband when she visited him.
Ms Cheung lent So, who claimed he was in financial difficulties, $1,900 after the items were smuggled in. She also bought him a $1,000 model ship.
She is also alleged to have paid him $10,000 for taking the pager into the prison.
