A man was yesterday acquitted of threatening to kill and rape Director of Social Welfare Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and a social worker after a magistrate deemed his utterances 'nothing more than an outburst of spleen'.
Magistrate Bina Chainrai acquitted Kam Chiu-shun, 42, on four counts of criminal intimidation in Kwun Tong Court as she did not believe Kam intended to back up his words.
The court heard the alleged threats to Mrs Lam were conveyed to social worker Kiu Ching-ha, who said she was also threatened by Mr Kam. She testified Mr Kam had threatened to rape and kill her and Mrs Lam in a series of meetings after the man allegedly wrote to the social welfare chief on January 2, blaming the department for losing a child custody battle in December.
'I cannot be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the utterances of the defendant on these four occasions, as alleged by Ms Kiu, were wild and whirling words uttered in exasperation and signifying nothing more than an outburst of spleen,' Ms Chainrai said.
She accepted Ms Kiu's evidence that Mr Kam had threatened to kill and rape her and Mrs Lam and, as allegedly stated in the unsigned letter, that he wanted to die with department staff. However, Ms Kiu had not reported the matter to her superior until Mr Kam made the alleged threats a third time.
Police were called on March 9 after Mr Kam allegedly made a fourth threat to Ms Kiu. He denied all four charges.