Hong Kong court rules Ken Tsang arrest footage admissible as evidence in assault trial
Lawyers for seven policemen accused of beating activist during 2014 Occupy protest fail in bid to block media material
Footage and photos allegedly showing seven policemen assaulting activist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu during the Occupy protests in 2014 were admissible as court evidence, a judge ruled on Tuesday.
This could be a blow to the defence’s case as prosecutors had earlier told the District Court that the material in question allegedly captured events leading up to the assault of Tsang and that they should therefore be admitted.
The defence counsel for the seven had made a legal bid to block the prosecutors’ request, calling the authenticity of the material into question.
Giving his ruling, judge David Dutton said all the footage and pictures were “relevant” and “prima facie” authentic. He ruled all of it, including CCTV and news footage, as well as newspaper pictures, admissible.
Chief Inspector Wong Cho-shing, 48, Senior Inspector Lau Cheuk-ngai, 29, Detective Sergeant Pak Wing-bun, 42, and constables Lau Hing-pui, 38, Chan Siu-tan, 31, Kwan Ka-ho, 32, and Wong Wai-ho, 36, deny one joint count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Tsang on October 15 near a pump station on Lung Wui Road in Admiralty.
Chan also denies one extra count of common assault over an alleged subsequent attack at the Central police station.