Hong Kong magistrate orders prosecutors to hand over unedited footage from national security police head’s visit to unlicensed massage parlour
- Counsel representing four defendants who allegedly worked at the establishment says unedited footage is necessary for their case
- Prosecutors had admitted to heavily redacting CCTV clips from the premises to prevent Senior Assistant Commissioner Frederic Choi being identified
Choi, 51, was found to be among the patrons of the Viet Spa in Wan Chai when police raided the premises on March 19. He was subsequently cleared of illegal conduct by an internal investigation, but still faces a civil service disciplinary hearing.
He was, however, stripped of his post and reassigned as the force’s head of training and discipline.
A man accused of being the owner of the premises – Wu Ping-hung, 61 – was charged with keeping a vice establishment and operating an unlicensed massage parlour. Three women who allegedly worked there – Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, 34, and masseuses Li Yiqing and Zhang Mingfang, aged 36 and 35 – were also hit with charges relating to managing such establishments. All four have pleaded not guilty.
Choi, meanwhile, was not named in court or listed as a prosecution witness, although defence lawyers have said they will seek to call him to testify.