A judge lashed out at prosecutors yesterday for not bringing adequate or proper charges against illegal immigrants who kept coming to the SAR to commit crimes.
'The courts are aware that a lot of illegal immigrants come to Hong Kong because of what we do here,' District Court Judge Chua Fi-lan said. 'The problem is when police and prosecutors have not brought enough charges or appropriate charges to meet the circumstances in the case.' Judge Chua questioned why mainlander Wong Kwan, 25, was not facing a charge of burglary when the court heard he had entered a village house in Fanling and pointed a chopper at occupant Chung Chi-hei on March 29.
Wong pleaded guilty yesterday to one charge each of robbery and remaining illegally, for which he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
Government counsel Anthony Cheang Kei-hong said a burglary count had been dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Wong was arrested on June 25 when he was found by police with some rice dumplings. The court heard he had told police he was 'in Hong Kong again'.
'When the defendant said he had come again, why hadn't they charged him twice with illegally remaining?' Judge Chua asked.
