Police acted illegally, league members tell appeal court
Two members of the League of Social Democrats yesterday challenged in the Court of Appeal their convictions for assaulting a police officer during a 2007 protest on the grounds that the officer was performing his duty illegally. Leung Kwok-hung and To Kwan-hang were sentenced respectively to 120 hours and 100 hours of community service for pushing to the ground a police officer who had extinguished a tyre set alight by them during a rally outside Government House. Their lawyers said the officer had doused the fire illegally because he had not been empowered to perform the act that would restrict freedom of expression and demonstration under the law. The prosecutor said police had not interfered with the demonstration until the fire became fierce and posed a danger to the public. The officer had acted within the law to ensure public safety. Deputy High Court Judge Andrew Chan Hing-wai reserved judgment.
Judge rejects bid against move to drop HKCEE exams
An application for leave to review the government decision to end HKCEE exams next year and A-levels in 2013 was dismissed by the Court of First Instance yesterday. Judge Au Hing-cheung rejected Ng Wing-hung's application after he found that Ng was not directly affected by the change in the education system and did not have sufficient interest to bring the application. The 42-year-old tutor said the Education Bureau had a responsibility under the Basic Law to safeguard educational development and should not deprive students of the right to sit the same exams in the future and therefore the tests should be kept.
Karaoke operators acquitted over using Jay Chou songs
A director and shareholder of karaoke outlet California Red was acquitted yesterday of infringing copyright over three songs by Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou Jie-lun on September 8, 2008. Anthony Lock Kwok-on, 49, and Real Benefit, which operated the chain, had pleaded not guilty to the charge. At Kowloon City Court, Deputy Magistrate Ko Wai-hung accepted that the defendants were unaware that Chou had left record company Sony BMG. They were not informed by Sony's licensing agencies at the time and did not know that the songs were infringing copyright.