Department of Justice granted more time to consider Mong Kok criminal contempt cases

The High Court on Friday approved the Department of Justice’s application for more time to consider whether to proceed with cases against 23 people arrested for criminal contempt during the clearance of Mong Kok roads on Tuesday.

The department said it was waiting for police to provide more evidence before it decided whether to go ahead with the cases.

Only 21 of those arrested appeared in court, as police could not reach two of them. The case has been adjourned to January 5 next year.

Explaining the purpose of yesterday’s hearing, Court of First Instance judge Mr Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming said he was not dealing with whether the arrestees had actually obstructed the bailiffs as they executed court injunctions, which would constitute contempt.

Rather, he was simply considering the department’s request for more time.

He said those who were arrested for criminal contempt should be brought to court “as soon as practicable” as ordered by another High Court judge, Mr Justice Thomas Au Hing-cheung, who granted the injunctions.