A government officer said last year that the Lamma Island area where a jogger says he was bitten by a pack of strays belonging to Hong Kong Dog Rescue founder Sally Andersen was not intended for public access or use, a court heard yesterday.
The officer was speaking at Andersen's trial in Eastern Court.
Andersen, 59, has been accused of contravening the Rabies Ordinance after a jogger was surrounded by a pack of dogs and bitten in the Lamma Island quarry area. She has pleaded not guilty to having dogs that were not leashed, or under control, and bit someone in a public place, contrary to section 25 of the ordinance.
An issue in the case is whether the location where the incident occurred was a public place.
Ho Ka-keung, an estate surveyor from the District Lands Office called by Andersen's legal team, agreed yesterday that he had said in an e-mail last April that the area was not intended for public use or access, including for fishing, hiking or walking dogs. Had someone asked to go into the area for such activities, the department would not have granted permission, he said.
Ho was speaking under questioning by Andersen's lawyer, Daniel Marash SC. The area was leased to the Young Men's Christian Association in May this year, Ho said. The e-mail had been sent in response to a person who had objected to the YMCA's tenancy.