Hong Kong Occupy leader denied trial by jury at High Court
Magistrate rejects request for a six-week adjournment for protester to seek ‘justice’ after prosecutors say he must be tried before a judge in the District Court
Barrister Martin Lee Chu-ming SC, for Raphael Wong Ho-ming, vice-chairman of the League of Social Democrats, asked for a six-week adjournment when Wong and eight other protesters and leaders returned to Eastern Court on Thursday to face various public nuisance charges related to the 79 days of street demonstrations.
The barrister said the adjournment was for Wong – and possibly other defendants – to seek “justice” by lodging an application for a judicial review to challenge what Wong claimed was the unconstitutionality of prosecutors to have him tried at the District Court, thereby without a jury.
But the adjournment application was quickly dismissed by magistrate Kenneth Chan Ping-chau, who said he had no power to resist the prosecution request, rendering Lee’s bid meaningless.
In reply to Lee, who complained about the prosecution taking 2½ years to bring the case to court but giving them little time to prepare, the magistrate said: “Mr Lee wants justice. Delayed justice is denied justice.”
