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SCMP Reporter

TWO men were acquitted of pushing a teenage girl into prostitution, despite the judge's certainty that the pair had ''evil intentions''.

 Lai Siu-hoi, 18, and Yeung Wing-chi, 22, were acquitted of procurement of a woman under 21. Mr Yeung was also acquitted of living on the earnings of prostitution and criminal intimidation.

 District Court Judge Yeung said that contradictions in the 16-year-old girl's testimony made it impossible to convict the men.

 He said the girl's behaviour during the trial had also been unusual.

 ''During her testimony she was giggling, as if she was not taking it seriously,'' Judge Yeung said. ''During the cross-examination she became impatient, irritable, and sometimes frustrated.''  But he also said that he was sure that Mr Lai and Mr Yeung were ''up to no good''.

  Prosecutor John Dunn told the court that on January 1 last year, Mr Yeung took the girl aside and told her that Mr Lai was in great danger - he owed $200,000 to a loanshark.

  Mr Dunn told the court that the girl had regarded Mr Lai as an adopted elder brother.

 He said Mr Yeung asked the girl to become a prostitute to help pay the debt, and Mr Lai asked her if she was willing to help.

   The girl testified that Mr Yeung took her to a building in Lai Chi Kok Road. She said Mr Yeung led her to a room and left her with a man she had never met.

 Mr Dunn said the man was Leung Wan-keung and that Mr Yeung had told him that the price for the girl was $220.

 Mr Yeung also said that he was ''the one responsible for taking the money after the transaction'', Mr Dunn said.

 The girl told the court she had sex with the man ''to help Lai''. She said the next night Mr Yeung threatened to ''get somebody to chop her whole family'' after she refused to take more ''customers''.



Two acquitted of pushing girl, 16, into prostitution