Dog owner bit police officer at MTR station
An unemployed man who bit a policeman while trying to avoid arrest for bringing a dog into an MTR station was fined HK$7,000 yesterday.
Lam Hiu-por, 42, had attempted to carry his dog through a turnstile at the Tin Shui Wai MTR station in December.
When an MTR staff member tried to stop him - because animals are prohibited on railway premises - a dispute broke out, court documents said.
When three policemen stepped in to mediate, Lam started to become emotional and kept using foul language.
After Lam ignored police instructions and again attempted to enter the turnstile with the dog, he was arrested for behaving in a noisy manner in a public place.
Lam then punched one policeman in the chest, causing the officer to fall to the ground.
The other two policemen tried to subdue Lam, but he kicked one of them in the left thigh and spat in his face twice while they were struggling.
The policeman who was kicked by Lam used pepper spray to subdue him, but when Lam was lying on the ground, he suddenly bit the third policeman's left shoe, near the ankle.
Last month, Lam pleaded guilty in Tuen Mun Court to charges of behaving in a noisy manner in a public place, bringing an animal into railway premises, and three counts of assaulting police officers.
Principal Magistrate Kwok Wai-kin was told Lam had a good education but had difficulty controlling his emotions - a problem he had sought treatment for since 1999.
Mr Kwok said bringing an animal into railway premises was initially a minor offence, but it became a serious dispute because Lam could not control his emotions.
He said assaulting police was a serious offence, but because Lam had shown willingness to seek further medical treatment for his emotional problem he had decided only to fine him.
