Jury discharged after no verdict reached
A HIGH Court jury was discharged yesterday after it failed to reach a verdict after about 11 hours of deliberation on a single charge of drug trafficking.
Lui Ka-kin, a newspaper vendor, was ordered to be re-tried by Mr Justice Saied on a charge of possession of more than one tonne of cannabis for trafficking.
Lui, 27, defended by John Hemmings, had denied trafficking in 1,125 kilograms of cannabis on May 14, last year, at Tai Tam.
During the trial, the court had heard officers on patrol in the early hours of May 14 were suspicious when they saw a red Mercedes-Benz near a jetty at the reservoir.
A group near a lorry fled when they saw the police car, leaving behind cannabis, mobile telephones and a two-way radio.
Officers patrolled the area and about 30 minutes later a man burst out of the bushes. He was warned to stop but ran away.
It was alleged Lui slipped from nearby bushes, straight into a policeman's arms, 11/2 hours later.
When arrested, he claimed he had been walking, brooding about a quarrel with his girlfriend.
Examination of his T-shirt revealed 60 fibres identical to carpet fibres in the lorry, the court heard.
Lui said he was helping a friend load the lorry but did not know what was in the bags.
