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Senior law man will fight driving charge

A top law officer has decided to fight a charge of careless driving he is facing after disputing the prosecutor's version of events.

Deputy Solicitor-General Stephen Wong Kai-yi yesterday asked Magistrate Johnny Chan Jong-herng to adjourn his case after he told the court he did not agree with some of the brief facts prepared by the prosecutor and that he needed time to study the case.

Wong, who represented himself, is No2 to Solicitor-General Robert Allcock, who heads the legal policy division of the Department of Justice.

The hearing was adjourned until March 12 and will be heard by Magistrate Eddie Yip Chor-man.

Yesterday was the third time Wong has appeared in Eastern Court on the driving charge.

Earlier he pleaded not guilty to careless driving in Cotton Tree Drive, Central, at 6pm on September 4.

But two weeks ago his case was adjourned until yesterday after it could not be heard because all the judges on duty were his friends.

In court yesterday, Wong told Mr Chan, who does not know him, not to arrange his case to be heard by his friend Magistrate Allan Wyeth.

Two weeks ago Magistrate Anthony Yuen Wai-ming, who was originally scheduled to hear the case, told prosecutor Christopher Wong Tat-ming - who is a private barrister hired by the Department of Justice - that he had known the defendant for many years.

It was therefore inappropriate for him to preside over proceedings.

After a wait of nearly two hours, the case was transferred to Magistrate Timothy Casewell in another courtroom in the same building. Wong had tried to change his plea before Mr Casewell, asking that he be allowed to plead guilty by letter.

But Mr Casewell turned down the request, saying Wong had to attend the court in person.

He then told Wong he could not carry on because he, too, knew him well.

In the only other courtroom open in Eastern Court at the time, Magistrate William Ng Sing-wai was presiding over another case.

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