Malaysian-Chinese singer Gary Chaw Ge vowed to be on his best behaviour after being bound over for accidentally pushing over Canto-pop star Justin Lo Ting-wei and running towards him with a road sign in a drunken row.
The 30-year-old, whose real name is Gary Chaw Pak-haw, was placed on a HK$1,000 good-behaviour bond for one year by Magistrate Anthony Yuen Wai-ming yesterday in Eastern Court. The prosecution had decided not to press charges against Chaw, who will not have a criminal record as a result of the incident.
'A 12-month bind-over for me, Chaw Ge, is not going to last just 12 months, but a whole lifetime,' he said. 'I need to do more positive things.'
He said he needed time to change a lot about his lifestyle, and that he likely would not drink any more when out with Lo, who he called his 'sworn brother'.
Chaw was speaking outside court after his hearing. The singer, in a white tailored shirt and blue jeans, was confronted by dozens of journalists and cameras as he left the building.
The court heard that the trouble started while Chaw and Lo were playing jazz at the Peel Fresco Music Lounge, Peel Street, SoHo, on September 22. They had arrived there after eating dinner with some friends to play and have drinks, prosecutor Kuk Suen-sau said.
While they were playing, a European man said they looked like clowns, and Chaw tried to speak with him. Lo and friends dragged Chaw out of the lounge, but Chaw tried to go back in. In his attempt to get free, Chaw accidentally pushed Lo, who fell, Kuk said.