Pair's flight to evade film piracy trial shows guilt, court hears

Two key people who controlled a production line that was caught pumping out more than one million pirated movie discs showed their guilt when they fled Hong Kong to avoid trial, a jury heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Paul Loughran told the Court of First Instance when Tsoi Chung-wang and Ng Yee-nei jumped bail in 2001, it was an indication that they had committed the crimes they were accused of.

'Their jumping bail and not turning up for trial shows that they were aware of their own guilt and did not want to face a trial,' he said. 'We suggest that that is evidence of their guilt.'

Tsoi, formerly known as Tsoi Kei-lung and Tsoi Tung-kei, and his common-law-wife Ng, formerly known as Ng Kam-fung and Lili Ng Yuk-yan, have denied one count of conspiracy to defraud.

A jury trial had earlier been set for the pair for November 19, 2001.

The court was told Tsoi was apprehended on the mainland and returned to Hong Kong on October 14 last year. Ng was arrested in Canada and came back on November 19 last year.

Mr Loughran told the court when Independent Commission Against Corruption officers raided four factories, an office and warehouse premises in Fanling, they uncovered a large-scale operation in 'full swing'.

Customs officers seized 1,131,699 discs covering 75 titles, including Titanic.

'These products had been manufactured at the premises without the necessary authority of the copyright owner,' he said. 'These are often termed 'pirated' goods.

'If manufacture is made without valid licence, and proper payment not made, the copyright owner and their licensees are cheated.'

ICAC officers found 41 replicating lines, 38 of which were working at the time of the raid.

Of the 38 lines, 31 were making unauthorised discs with the remainder churning out mainland products, Mr Loughran said.

He said Tsoi and Ng were shareholders of Golden Science Technology, which paid the business registration for the four factories and staff wages.

Mr Loughran said another company, Bright Hope Trading, which was 'in practice' run by the defendants, appeared to 'grant' licences for the manufacture of the discs despite having no authority to do so.

The trial before Mr Justice Michael Lunn continues today.