Police trace source of nude internet photos

Obscene 'celebrity' images taken from computer sent for repair

Police said yesterday they had traced the source of nude internet photos purported to be of local celebrities, as an initial probe revealed that more than 1,300 photos of six women were leaked when a computer they were stored on was sent for repair.

A 23-year-old man, arrested in a computer shop in Central on Saturday, was charged last night with accessing a computer with criminal or dishonest intent. He is due to appear in Eastern Court today.

Meanwhile, singer-actor Edison Chen Koon-hei, one of the artists said to appear in the photos, issued an apology last night to anyone 'affected by this strange, strange ordeal'.

Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Vincent Wong Fook-chuen said six women appeared in the photographs, most of which were obscene. He would not say if more than one man appeared.

'We are quite confident to say that the source [of the photos] is confirmed. Someone had sent his computer for repair and the pictures [stored inside] were stolen without the consent of the owner.'

Mr Wong said the probe would focus only on whether the photos were obscene articles, not on their authenticity. Four of the six women involved were publicly recognisable. Police would contact everyone who appeared in the photos but they would not necessarily have to testify in court.