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SCMP Reporter

A barman received a lighter drug-trafficking sentence yesterday because he had been drawn into a sting operation by his attraction to an undercover policeman.

 Chan Kam-ki, 28, was jailed for 16 months by District Court judge Peter Line.

  Defence counsel Christopher Young said Chan had been drawn into his predicament by an undercover police officer, 'Michael'.

  'He was encouraged by his sexual advances . . . he would not commit the offence without the entrapment,' Mr Young said.

  The relationship between Chan and Michael developed quickly after Michael agreed to give flowers as a token of supporting Chan to take part in a homosexual beauty contest, the court was told.

 The court heard Chan would do whatever the undercover officer wanted in order to please him.

 Mr Young said the officer had preyed on Chan's sexual proclivity.

 Judge Line said he accepted the defendant was attracted to 'Michael' and so got the drugs in order to please him.

  The judge adopted a three-year starting point when sentencing Chan but reduced it by nine months because of the special circumstances.

 Further reductions were given for his previous good character and guilty plea, bringing it to 16 months.

 Apart from Chan, three other men - Ng To-ping, 23, Wong Wai-kiu, 19, and Wong Shui-lun, 27 - were also arrested in the same undercover operation.

  The four pleaded guilty to drug trafficking before Judge Line on January 24.

  The court then heard that Chan was approached by two undercover agents at CE Top nightclub in Central, where he worked as a bartender, on June 26 last year.

  Chan had sold five tablets of 'ice' to the pair for $900.

 He also introduced the pair to the other three defendants, who sold cannabis and Ecstasy to them on various occasions.

  Ng, who committed the offence while he was on bail for a CD piracy offence, was jailed for three months yesterday.

  Wong Wai-kiu and Wong Shui-lun were ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.



Drug barman shown mercy for gay sting