A policeman concocted a witness statement on a traffic accident from a Customs and Excise Department inspector, a court heard yesterday. Yeung Kin-ip, a constable, denied committing an act which was intended to pervert the course of public justice. On August 20 last year, a taxi rammed into railings along Taikoo Shing Road, Quarry Bay, to avoid a car driven by Ng Che-keung, a senior inspector at the Customs and Excise Department, the District Court heard. As the officer in charge of the case, Yeung took a statement from Mr Ng at his Harbour Building office 10 days later, said prosecutor Louisa Lai. On December 17 last year, Mr Ng received a summons accusing him of careless driving and that he was required to attend court in March. A month later, he received the relevant prosecution papers from the police only to discover it contained a statement he was said to have given at his office on October 24 last year. But Mr Ng was at a management course that day and never made such a statement, Ms Lai said. Defence barrister John McLanachan argued Mr Ng had returned to the office at lunchtime and had spoken to the defendant. Mr McLanachan said Mr Ng had rung up a superintendent of the traffic division threatening to take the matter to court if the police did not withdraw the charge. Mr Ng told the court he was not sure if he had made the call. The police withdrew the charge against Mr Ng on March 15. The trial before Judge Colin Jackson continues today.
