Canto-pop singer Jill Vidal will appear in Tokyo District Court today on drug charges, and could be deported and banned from Japan for five years if convicted.
Her father, Joey Vidal, and her manager at record label AMusic, Joe Chan, arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday to prepare for the trial. 'We bought her some clothes for the trial and delivered them to the police,' Mr Chan said after visiting the singer.
She was arrested on February 24 with fellow singer Kelvin Kwan Chor-yiu for suspected shoplifting. Police also found cannabis on Kwan. He returned to Hong Kong on March 28. Only Vidal was charged under Japan's Narcotics and Psychotropic Control Law over suspected heroin found in her hotel room. It was reported that the quantity of the alleged drug was between 2 and 3 grams.
Shahmim Khattak, a Hong Kong barrister familiar with Japanese law, said the trial was unlikely to be completed in one day as the judge would normally pass sentence at a later date, even if the defendant pleaded guilty. Vidal might be escorted to the court in handcuffs or with a chain fastened to her waist, Mr Khattak said.
Heroin possession could lead to a jail term of six to 12 months, Mr Khattak said, but a first-time offender may receive a suspended sentence.
