Witnesses in jockey's assault case won't testify
Prosecution asks court to issue summonses for trio who saw fracas on a chartered bus
Three witnesses in an assault case involving high-flying jockey Matthew Chadwick have refused to give evidence, a court heard yesterday.
The prosecution asked Sha Tin magistrate Merinda Chow Yin-chu to issue them witness summonses.
In a pre-trial review, the court did not hear the identities of the three witnesses.
Chadwick, 23, was accused of one count of common assault and one of criminal damage. His 21-year-old wife Wai Man-kuen faces one count of obstructing a public officer, while farrier Haitze Wiersma faces two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The trio had earlier pleaded not guilty.
The charges allege that Chadwick attacked a bus driver in Ma On Shan on June 10 last year, and damaged an emergency door of his bus.
His wife was accused of obstructing a police officer who was discharging his duties at the scene.
Wiersma, 47, allegedly assaulted Ali Shazard and Denise Annisa Ali.
The incident occurred after about 20 Jockey Club staff and their friends chartered the bus to take them from Sai Kung to the Sha Tin racecourse.
Yesterday, the court heard that the Jockey Club interviewed all the passengers on the bus but had refused to give the relevant documents to Wiersma.
His lawyer, Christopher Morley, asked the court to order the club to produce the documents under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance.
Morley also said that his defence witness would not be available until October because he had to undergo training overseas.
Chadwick was champion apprentice in 2008-2009.
He ranked fourth in the jockeys' premiership in 2009-2010, although he became a fully fledged jockey only in mid-season.
The magistrate ordered a second pre-trial review on March 17 to deal with the matters. The trio were released on bail.
