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Police trace source of nude internet photos

Obscene 'celebrity' images taken from computer sent for repair

Police said yesterday they had traced the source of nude internet photos purported to be of local celebrities, as an initial probe revealed that more than 1,300 photos of six women were leaked when a computer they were stored on was sent for repair.

A 23-year-old man, arrested in a computer shop in Central on Saturday, was charged last night with accessing a computer with criminal or dishonest intent. He is due to appear in Eastern Court today.

Meanwhile, singer-actor Edison Chen Koon-hei, one of the artists said to appear in the photos, issued an apology last night to anyone 'affected by this strange, strange ordeal'.

Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Vincent Wong Fook-chuen said six women appeared in the photographs, most of which were obscene. He would not say if more than one man appeared.

'We are quite confident to say that the source [of the photos] is confirmed. Someone had sent his computer for repair and the pictures [stored inside] were stolen without the consent of the owner.'

Mr Wong said the probe would focus only on whether the photos were obscene articles, not on their authenticity. Four of the six women involved were publicly recognisable. Police would contact everyone who appeared in the photos but they would not necessarily have to testify in court.

'What we need to do is to prove that someone stole the data or that someone distributed obscene articles. I do not see the need for them to come to court,' Mr Wong said.

The photos that appeared on the internet last week are purported to be of Edison Chen, Gillian Chung Yan-tung of girl duo Twins, actress Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi and former actress Bobo Chan Man-woon.

Another four men and two women arrested in connection with the case in the past two days were each granted bail of HK$20,000. The first person arrested, 29-year-old decorator Chung Yik-tin, remained in jail after being refused bail on Thursday.

Mr Wong rejected suggestions of selective police enforcement in the case, saying there was evidence that all except the suspected source had distributed the photos. He also denied that the force had allocated extra manpower to investigate this case due to the involvement of celebrities.

'This impression has been created because of the extensive media coverage and society as a whole is very concerned,' Mr Wong said, adding that only 19 officers from the technology crime division had participated in the probe.

While keeping such photographs and sending them to friends was not an offence, Mr Wong said, it was illegal for anyone to upload such photos onto the Web, as cyberspace was the public domain.

In his statement, made on a video distributed to the media, Chen urged the public not to keep or send the images to anyone. 'If you are still in possession of these images, I urge you to please destroy them immediately. Let's help the wounded heal their wounds,' he pleaded.

Ng Yu, chief executive officer of Emperor Entertainment Group, Chung's management company, which initially reported the case to the police, declined to comment, saying the case was being handled by the police and the company's lawyers.

Anyone who accesses a computer with criminal or dishonest intent faces a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

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