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Judge says he needs to hear 'the clang of jail doors' as a deterrent

A fan who forced a kiss on singer Ella Koon Yun-na  was sentenced to two months' jail yesterday by a magistrate who said a clear message must be sent to the public that artists and public figures are not open to being molested.

'Look, but do not touch,' Tuen Mun Principal Magistrate Kwok Wai-kin  advised fans as he sentenced Law Hin-fat.

Rejecting a defence request for a community service order, Mr Kwok said a jail was necessary as a penalty and deterrent.

'Artists, due to the nature of their jobs, need to have close contact with their fans,' he said. 'They deserve a safe working environment that protects them from any improper physical contact.'

Koon last night described the sentence as fair. 'I hope this will send a clear message that everyone must shoulder responsibility for their own actions,' she said.

Law, who grabbed the singer's neck and kissed her on her mouth for 10 seconds during a public function on October 6, first pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent assault but later reversed the plea.

Mr Kwok said Law must be deterred by 'the clang of jail doors' not only because the court had to take care of the feelings of the victim, her friends, fans and family, but because Law had failed to demonstrate true remorse.

Rejecting a written apology the 24-year-old library assistant made to Koon, the magistrate said: 'You never apologised until you were remanded in custody; you denied to the probation officer that you kissed or used violence upon [Ella Koon]; also you denied several facts you earlier admitted. It is hard to believe you are truly remorseful.'

A probation report urged that Law be put on probation, although it said he was evasive about the offence and tried to lessen his liability.

Counsel Luk King-wang  said Law had not meant to deny his wrongdoing but was unskilled in expressing himself. He cited a psychological report that suggested Law suffered depression, adjustment problems and schizoid personality disorder, and said he committed the crime because he had problems expressing love for Koon.

But Mr Kwok said Law had planned his offence for six months. 'He admitted he wore glasses and a cap with the intention to avoid his face being shown,' he said. 'With such premeditation, I fail to see why you couldn't come up with simple expressions of love like 'I like you' or 'will you marry me' instead.'

Mr Kwok also rejected the psychological report submitted by the defence because it ran counter to the views of two government clinical psychologists, who said that Law suffered no intellectual deficit or depression. 'You may be an introvert or even a bit anti-social but these are not mitigating factors and are definitely not clinical symptoms that render your actions uncontrollable,' he said.

One of the government psychological reports suggested that although the possibility of Law re-offending was small, it could not be ruled out.



Fan gets 2 months' jail for kissing Ella Koon