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Stella Lee

A MERCHANT found with more than 5,000 photographs of policemen, many nude or semi-nude, is to escape prosecution.

But disciplinary action could be taken against 60 officers who modelled for the photographs, many wearing only belts or hats.

Detectives from Hong Kong island seized the 5,000 pictures from a Happy Valley flat five months ago.

An investigation has identified more than 60 constables from the pictures, but the identity of many more has proved difficult.

Most of the officers involved are from uniformed sections, including traffic and police tactical unit officers.

It is understood none of the officers was paid to pose.

They were told the pictures would be shown to wealthy women and they might be able to earn money as gigolos.

But the owner of the photographs, a merchant in his mid-40s, is believed to have used the pictures for his own sexual gratification.

'Some of the photos are quite disgusting and obscene, but some are innocent, just like those you would have in your own photo albums,' a source said.

Some are simply of uniformed policemen chatting at social occasions.

'The merchant knows a lot of police officers,' the source said.

The police are investigating whether some of the officers had their pictures taken without their knowledge and whether anyone helped the man take the photographs.

Senior Superintendent Trevor Oakes (Hong Kong Island Crime) said the decision reached this week not to prosecute the merchant was based on advice from the Legal Department, but he declined to say that was because of insufficient evidence or the lack of appropriate legislation.

The police officers to be disciplined are likely to be accused of conduct which has brought the force into disrepute and face penalties ranging from a caution to dismissal.

The force has yet to decide who will handle the scandal because it involves officers from all over the territory and disciplinary action is usually the responsibility of local commanders.

Sources said the management is examining which officers identified from the pictures should be punished, because some could have had their photos taken unawares.

The merchant is understood to have been questioned by the defunct Special Investigation Unit which hunted homosexuals in 1985 over a similar scam.



Nude photo merchant goes free