Hong Kong protester accused of punching policeman sees charges dropped due to insufficient evidence, in fifth case withdrawn by prosecutors in a month
- According to prosecutors, Staniel Chan Yiu-kwan assaulted an officer in Mong Kok by hitting him in the arm on September 21
- But the defence counsel said video footage showed it was in fact the officer who had charged towards Chan and attacked him
Chef Staniel Chan Yiu-kwan, 54, saw his charge withdrawn at West Kowloon Court on Friday, nine weeks after he was charged with assaulting a police officer on September 21, when he was arrested near Mong Kok Police Station. That night, protesters gathered outside the station and confronted police after a rally in Tuen Mun.
According to prosecutors, Chan had assaulted station sergeant Pak Ngo by punching him in the right arm at the junction of Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Bute Street. But the defence counsel said video footage taken by RTHK showed it was in fact the officer who had charged towards Chan and attacked him.
A spokesman from the Department of Justice said the prosecution had found no reasonable prospect to convict Chan after reviewing all relevant evidence, including the RTHK footage, and agreed to withdraw the charge.
On Friday, prosecutor Melinda Tong Dak-pui told Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen that the prosecution would not object to Chan’s application for costs.