Doctor not guilty of supplying 5,900 pills to socialite Anita Chan, who died of overdose

A radiologist has been acquitted of supplying dangerous drugs to her godmother, late philanthropist Anita Chan Lai-ling - but not without drawing strong words from the trial magistrate for her lack of professionalism.

Chan died of an overdose aged 69 in 2007, four years after Dr Yau Yat-yin started prescribing six types of medicines, allegedly to ease her pain and relieve her sleeping problems.

In 2010, an inquest was opened to look into her death.

Eastern Court Magistrate So Wai-tak said he found Yau, 55, not guilty because, although the 5,905 tablets prescribed to Chan sounded a lot, only two out of the six types had slightly exceeded the daily dosage.

He also took into consideration that the drugs were handed out over a period of four years.

But So slammed Yau's poor judgment for not keeping full written medical records on Chan, who, the court heard earlier, had asked her goddaughter not to do so because of privacy concerns.