'Dizzy' doctor sends friend to face judge

A doctor appealing against a jail sentence astonished a judge when he sent a friend to the High Court in his place.

The stand-in told Mr Justice Patrick Chan Siu-hoi that Chan Chuen-kin could not attend his appeal in person because he was in hospital with a head injury.

His friend had been asked to attend and request an adjournment.

'This is highly unsatisfactory,' the judge told the doctor's envoy.

'Could he not even telephone my clerk to say he wasn't coming?' The judge expressed displeasure that 'a case of such a nature has been dragging on for two years'.

Mr Justice Chan adjourned the appeal until June 25 to give the doctor time to recover from his bouts of dizziness.