A triad protector who summoned gang members to sort out trouble at nightclubs was no different from 'having a bouncer outside Joe Bananas', a senior barrister argued yesterday.
Daniel Marash SC said all Wan Chai nightclubs were protected by triads and could not operate without them.
Clubs consented because it stopped other gangs moving in and prevented violence.
'Is it any different to having a bouncer outside Joe Bananas? The business is designed to stop trouble, not create trouble,' he told the Court of Appeal.
Later in the hearing, Mr Marash said: 'All of these Wan Chai nightclubs are triad-controlled . . . one does not operate nightclubs in Wan Chai without being protected.
'If you want to operate down there you need protection because there is trouble and other triad societies will move in on you.' Mr Marash made the comments while arguing that a two-year sentence imposed on triad protector Wong Kam-keung should be slashed.
Wong, 34, had summoned his followers to three nightclubs in Wan Chai to sort out trouble. There was no violence after they arrived, the court heard.
