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HARDENED criminals will stop confessing to serious crimes if judges hand out life sentences and refuse to reward guilty pleas, the Court of Appeal was warned yesterday.

  Barrister John Haynes raised the issue during an appeal against a term of seven life sentences.

  His client, an armed robber, received no reduction for having admitted to his crimes.

  'The signal this sends out to the criminal community is to never plead guilty,' said Mr Haynes, adding that Mr Justice Duffy should have warned him he was considering a life sentence and given him the opportunity to argue against it.

  In most cases, judges give discounts for a guilty plea. This becomes impossible when life sentences are imposed because they are of an indeterminate length.

  Fung Wai-hon, 25, received seven life sentences after admitting three charges of shooting with intent and four charges of causing explosions.

   He also received sentences totalling 306 years after admitting nine robberies, five charges of possessing arms while committing robbery, three of hijacking vehicles and one of possessing arms without a licence.

   Mr Haynes argued that Mr Justice Duffy had read out a pre-prepared sentence immediately after mitigation was heard, contrary to the principles of 'natural justice'.

   Fung was the leader of a gang of robbers who hijacked three vehicles, shot at pedestrians and threw grenades into the street during a shootout with police.

   Two policemen were shot and one seriously after being hit in the head. The shootout on April 24, 1992, followed nine armed robberies at jewellery stores.

   The trail of evidence led to Fung, but when police broke into his Tai Kok Tsui flat they were confronted by four men wearing bulletproof vests and carrying pistols, a shotgun, an AK-47 rifle and hand grenades.

   Fung fired at police with the assault rifle, hitting Superintendent Trevor Oakes in the shoulder.

   Detective Inspector Chan Sze-ki tripped in front of the gunman, who shot him at point-blank range.

   One of the gang members then snatched the detective's gun and Fung tossed a grenade. The men fled to the Ivy Street bus terminus where they hijacked a public light bus and drove off in the wrong direction down a one-way street, smashing into oncoming traffic. The gang threw a grenade out of the window, injuring three passers-by, and opened fire, hitting one man in the chest.

   The four men then abandoned the minibus and hijacked a taxi but got stuck in traffic. A third grenade was thrown into the road, injuring two children and three adults.

  A fourth grenade injured two more people and a goods van washijacked before the gang was finally caught.

  Mr Justice Duffy said it was a 'miracle of breathtaking proportions' that no one was killed.

  Wong Chung-lim, 22, Liu Ka-yung, 23, and Lau Kam-Fai, 23, received six, four and three life sentences respectively for shooting with intent and causing explosions.

   Mr Justice Power, Mr Justice Mayo and Mr Justice Chan reserved judgment.



Counsel warns on lack of reward for guilty pleas