Nicholas Tse's latest starring role whips up media frenzy

The trial of Canto-pop star Nicholas Tse Ting-fung, accused of switching drivers after crashing his Ferrari, began amid a media frenzy yesterday as more than 100 journalists jostled to see him arrive at court.

Tse, 21, and his co-accused, police constable Lau Chi-wai, 28, both pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice between March 23 and April 12 this year.

Dressed in a dark blue suit and tie, Tse was accompanied by his parents, Patrick Tse Yin and Deborah Li, both veteran actors, and Polly Pang Suk-ha, a representative of Tse's record company, the Emperor Entertainment Group.

Police set up railings outside Western Court and along the opposite side of the street to hold back crowds of onlookers who came to see Tse's arrival.

Photographers and cameramen from Hong Kong and overseas media, including representatives from Taiwan and Singapore, were forced to scramble for shots from a designated press area some distance away.

During Tse's last court appearance, the young singer received a small cut to his face in the media scrum that enveloped him as he arrived. This time, Tse was able to make his way unobstructed into the court, protected by police and court staff.

However, two reporters were slightly injured outside court. They claimed they were pushed by an officer of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in charge of protecting prosecution witness Shing Kwok-ting.