https://www.scmp.com/rss/1424/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A serial thief was jailed for three years and 10 months yesterday for stealing luxury handbags worth more than HK$380,000 just six days after he was released from prison last December. Passing sentence, District Court Judge David Dufton said that Ho Yiu-man, 30, was a "professional thief" and "targeted high value goods". Dufton originally jailed the former truck driver, who had 30 prior theft convictions, for three years and eight months after his guilty plea to 15 counts of theft and one count... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857411/hong-kong-professional-stole-luxury-handbags-six-days-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857411/hong-kong-professional-stole-luxury-handbags-six-days-after?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2015 16:00:45 +0000 A Chinese University student was given a one-year jail term, suspended for three years, after breaking into a peer's dormitory room to steal her possessions to solve his financial problems. Passing sentence, District Judge Sham Siu-man said: "Life is not always smooth, and there will be difficult times. [Crime] will not solve the difficulties." Vincent Kong Wai-tik, a 20-year-old Japanese studies student, pleaded guilty to one count of burglary. He submitted a handful of mitigation letters,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857383/chinese-university-hong-kong-student-attempted-burglary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857383/chinese-university-hong-kong-student-attempted-burglary?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2015 16:00:20 +0000 A secondary school pupil hurled four traffic cones onto a major traffic artery in Admiralty during last year's Occupy protests, provoking fellow demonstrators to throw water bottles and rush into the road, a court heard yesterday. The pupil, Law Cheuk-yung, 18, pleaded not guilty to one count of taking part in an unlawful assembly in Lung Wo Road on October 14. Police officer Fan Chun-yip said he was walking to Lung Wo Road with colleagues at about 10pm that night and saw around 30 protesters... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852807/hong-kong-court-hears-occupy-protester-threw-cones-main?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852807/hong-kong-court-hears-occupy-protester-threw-cones-main?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Three protesters previously sentenced to community service for breaking doors at the Legislative Council building during a rally last year had their sentences changed to 3 ½ months in jail on Tuesday after a magistrate reconsidered the violent nature of their actions. Tai Chi-shing, 24, Cheung Chi-pong, 23, and Shek Ka-fai, 24, were jailed by Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai at Eastern Court. They were released on bail, pending an appeal. Their co-accused, Cheng Yeung, 19, was remanded in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852563/hong-kong-protesters-handed-jail-time-using-metal-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852563/hong-kong-protesters-handed-jail-time-using-metal-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2015 23:00:00 +0000 A police sergeant borrowed more than HK$129,000 from his subordinates, claiming he needed the money to cure his sister's cancer and support his daughter's overseas studies, a court heard yesterday. Yau Chun-kit, 40, pleaded guilty at Eastern Court to one count of fraud and nine counts of a prescribed officer soliciting and accepting advantages. Deputy magistrate Winston Leung Wing-chung said the offences involved a breach of trust as Yau had taken loans from his subordinates. "You compromised... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852378/police-sergeant-who-borrowed-hk129000-subordinates-hurt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852378/police-sergeant-who-borrowed-hk129000-subordinates-hurt?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Aug 2015 06:00:45 +0000 Former government No 2 Rafael Hui Si-yan was fined HK$2,000 yesterday for failing to submit a statement of earnings and details of his property after he was declared bankrupt in 2013. The former chief secretary, appearing well, was escorted from Stanley Prison to Eastern Court by Correctional Services Department officers. Hui did not show up earlier this month for a Court of Appeal hearing relating to his appeal against his bribery conviction. Media reports suggested that Hui wanted to "avoid... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852214/hong-kongs-disgraced-former-no-2-official-rafael-hui-fined?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1852214/hong-kongs-disgraced-former-no-2-official-rafael-hui-fined?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2015 16:00:00 +0000 A retired security guard was yesterday convicted of causing criminal damage by writing on the walls of court buildings and the Legal Aid Department. Chan Tin-fong, 68, claimed in his self-defence during the trial that he had not caused damage to the properties because the words could be cleaned off. But magistrate Jason Wan Siu-ming said the definition of criminal damage in law was that the actions caused temporary or permanent damage to a property or lowered its value. "Even though the words... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1851599/war-words-retired-hong-kong-security-guard-convicted-graffiti-attacks-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1851599/war-words-retired-hong-kong-security-guard-convicted-graffiti-attacks-court?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:00:45 +0000 Seventy-eight academic high-fliers have been awarded the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence to support their studies at top-notch universities around the world in the coming academic year. The first winners of the scholarship, initiated by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his policy address last year, received their awards yesterday. Twenty-five will pursue postgraduate studies, while 53 will begin life as undergraduates with the help of HK$250,000 a year to cover tuition fees. The scheme... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1851597/hong-kong-scholarship-excellence-helps-bright-young-students-follow-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1851597/hong-kong-scholarship-excellence-helps-bright-young-students-follow-their?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 A retired Australian woodworker was jailed for one week yesterday immediately after he was convicted of indecently touching the buttocks of a Cathay Pacific flight attendant twice last month. Peter Amstutz, 60, had pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent assault Magistrate Rita So Ka-yin dismissed an appeal by his lawyer, Phil Chau, for a financial penalty and said a short imprisonment was appropriate. Tsuen Wan Court heard that Amstutz touched the left side of the buttocks of the victim,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1851289/australian-who-touched-buttocks-cathay-flight-attendant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1851289/australian-who-touched-buttocks-cathay-flight-attendant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 16:00:30 +0000 The founder of now-defunct Hong Kong activist group Student Front was today jailed for three weeks for obstructing a police officer in a Christmas stunt last year. Passing sentence, Kowloon City Magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han said the offence committed by student Cheng Kam-mun, 27, was serious in nature. “You deliberately charged police cordon lines and provoked police officers. Luckily, others were not provoked by you, which might otherwise have led to a messier situation. If that was the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1851051/student-protester-jailed-obstructing-hong-kong-policeman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1851051/student-protester-jailed-obstructing-hong-kong-policeman?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 04:15:30 +0000 Two men were slapped with a HK$3,000 fine each at Kowloon City Court yesterday for throwing eggs at Scholarism convenor Joshua Wong Chi-fung outside the same court building last year. Li Wong, 27, and Cheung Ka-shing, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of common assault, saying in mitigation that the activities Wong organised during the 79-day Occupy protests last year affected transport businesses. Both were transport workers at the time. Passing sentence, Magistrate Dr Eric Cheung Kwan-ming said:... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850806/pair-who-threw-eggs-hong-kong-activist-joshua-wong-anti?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850806/pair-who-threw-eggs-hong-kong-activist-joshua-wong-anti?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 08:30:00 +0000 A Hong Kong retiree was fined HK$3,000 and put on a one-year good behaviour bond for assaulting a clerk with a folded national flag during rival rallies last year over government plans to build new towns in the northeastern New Territories. Passing sentence, Eastern Court Magistrate Lee Siu-ho said the violence used by retiree Ngai Che-wing, 62, was “inappropriate and unnecessary”. Lee also ordered Ngai to compensate victim Chik Wai-yee, 38, HK$150 for medical expenses. Ngai had previously... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850773/hong-kong-retiree-fined-over-assault-clerk-who-was-filming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850773/hong-kong-retiree-fined-over-assault-clerk-who-was-filming?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 05:30:30 +0000 A retired Australian man twice touched the buttocks of a Cathay Pacific flight attendant when she was dealing with another passenger’s request to change seats, a court heard yesterday. The victim, who was named “X” in Tsuen Wan Court for legal reasons, said that after answering the inquiry of a woman in seat 43B, Peter Amstutz, 60, sitting in 43C, “touched the left side of my buttocks with his hand”. Amstutz pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent assault on the flight from Hong Kong to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850451/australian-retiree-touched-my-buttocks-hong-kong-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850451/australian-retiree-touched-my-buttocks-hong-kong-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Aug 2015 07:00:45 +0000 A painter and decorator slashed a man he suspected of having an affair with his wife, leaving a wound from his left ear all the way to his chest, a Hong Kong court heard today. Wong Lit-man, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent at the District Court. Prosecutor Wilson Choi said that at about midnight on April 27, Wong called and shouted abusive words at victim Chan King-man, asking him why he frequently called his wife. In the afternoon, Wong went to a Tuen... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850160/husband-slashed-man-suspected-having-affair-his-wife-ear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1850160/husband-slashed-man-suspected-having-affair-his-wife-ear?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2015 07:15:15 +0000 Convicted money launderer and former English Premier League soccer chairman Carson Yeung Ka-sing was freed from jail today after Hong Kong’s top court granted him the right to challenge his conviction. Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li released the ex-Birmingham City owner on HK$7 million bail and cash surety of HK$6 million, and ordered the hairdresser-turned-businessman to surrender his travel documents and not leave Hong Kong. The decision came four months after the businessman, who was jailed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1849437/former-birmingham-city-owner-carson-yeung-freed-after-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1849437/former-birmingham-city-owner-carson-yeung-freed-after-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Aug 2015 03:45:00 +0000 A British insurance executive faced charges for the first time since his undocumented 15-year-old daughter jumped to her death from a luxury Repulse Bay flat in early April. Nicholas Cousins, 57, was charged on Wednesday with aiding and abetting his de facto wife's breach of condition of stay and failing to register the births of his two daughters, a court heard yesterday. Prosecutors laid the three charges on Cousins, a former managing director of Jardine Lloyd Thompson's (JLT) Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1849164/british-father-death-jump-girl-15-charged-helping-de-facto?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1849164/british-father-death-jump-girl-15-charged-helping-de-facto?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Aug 2015 04:15:45 +0000 A nightclub hostess who disappeared from her Kowloon Bay flat four years ago left a note for her boyfriend that read, "I love you forever," the High Court heard on Wednesday. Company director Ivan Chan Man-sum, 42, said he found the note with a HK$100 banknote that had been folded into the shape of a heart on a cabinet in the bedroom of Chun Ka-yee, 33, on October 10, 2011. Chan, who has been charged with Chun's murder, said he went to the flat with a decorator the day he discovered she was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/1849009/missing-nightclub-hostess-left-love-note-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/1849009/missing-nightclub-hostess-left-love-note-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:13:20 +0000 Two Court of Appeal judges on Wednesday refused to grant permission to seven men convicted of trying to rob the owners of a currency exchange shop to further challenge their prison sentences of more than nine years. Court of Appeal vice-president Mr Justice Michael Lunn said that the sentences the High Cout trial judge handed the men – Leung Pui, Wong Wai-keung, Cheung Hiu-wai, Ho Bin, Lo Siu-wah, Chau Cheung-lun and Shing Cheung – were within the range of sentences available for this most... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848869/hong-kong-judges-deny-would-be-robbers-request-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848869/hong-kong-judges-deny-would-be-robbers-request-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2015 04:45:00 +0000 The administrators of the late Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum's HK$83 billion estate are suing a feng shui master, two other men and a company for HK$402 million for selling her fake relics 10 years ago, according to a legal document filed yesterday with the High Court. The document said the administrators were asking for recovery of the money paid on Wang's behalf between 2004 and 2006 for the purchase of the so-called relics, which, after examination by the administrators, were confirmed to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848796/nina-wang-estate-tangles-another-feng-shui-master-time-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848796/nina-wang-estate-tangles-another-feng-shui-master-time-over?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Aug 2015 17:45:15 +0000 A Hong Kong Social Welfare Department clerk was today put on probation for 15 months for accessing the personal information of her ex-boyfriend and his wife on a government computer system to help her exact revenge after their relationship ended. Passing sentence, Eastern Court Deputy Magistrate Winston Leung Wing-chung said the seriousness of the offences committed by Yuniko Au Yeung Ka-man, was that the department’s computer system contained a large amount of personal information, and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848556/spurned-lover-who-looked-ex-boyfriends-information-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848556/spurned-lover-who-looked-ex-boyfriends-information-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Aug 2015 08:00:15 +0000 A former Luk Fook jewellery salesman was jailed for one year for stealing four gold necklaces and attempting to steal another four by sending a man posing as a staff member to “borrow” gold from other branches. Jailing Chow Lok-hang, 25, at Kowloon City Court yesterday, Deputy Magistrate Lam Tsz-kan Ö said the offences involved “a breach of trust” in an employee. The magistrate said Chow spotted the loophole in the jewellery shops’ procedures and made a plan to steal the items. Chow had earlier... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848411/luk-fook-jewellery-salesman-jailed-over-scam-involving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1848411/luk-fook-jewellery-salesman-jailed-over-scam-involving?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Aug 2015 16:17:32 +0000 The owner of a pest control company was yesterday sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for attempting to set his ex-girlfriend and her home on fire with paint thinner after sending her harassing messages. As she handed down the decision, Deputy Judge Ivy Chui Yee-mei said the offences committed by Calvin Lau Man-wai, 27, were particularly serious because he brought flammable liquid to the home of victim Kwok Lai-yin, who was a policewoman. Lau had earlier pleaded guilty at the District... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1847626/hong-kong-man-sentenced-almost-three-years-prison-trying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1847626/hong-kong-man-sentenced-almost-three-years-prison-trying?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2015 21:48:11 +0000 Students at the University of Hong Kong are not planning to storm the next meeting of the university's governing body for fear of diverting attention from what they claim is a politically motivated delay in the appointment of pro-democracy professor Johannes Chan Man-mun to a key leadership role. Billy Fung Jing-en, president of the university's student union, said in a newspaper article yesterday that the union's action at the HKU council meeting last week had obscured the issue. "The focus of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/1847607/students-vow-not-storm-next-hku-meeting-avoid-shifting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/1847607/students-vow-not-storm-next-hku-meeting-avoid-shifting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2015 21:45:15 +0000 The choice of a new University of Hong Kong provost will probably be submitted to its governing council by the end of this month, the council’s chairman and a member say amid heated debate the unfilled post is being used as an excuse to delay another key managerial appointment. Both chairman Dr Leong Che-hung and his council colleague, Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, today dismissed allegations the deferred naming of a new pro-vice-chancellor was deliberate. Leong stressed it was reasonable to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1847339/choice-provost-hong-kong-university-likely-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1847339/choice-provost-hong-kong-university-likely-be?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2015 05:45:45 +0000 RTHK's new boss started his job yesterday with a vow to face political pressure squarely if it arises, while staff urged him to act according to his conscience. Director of Broadcasting Leung Ka-wing was bombarded with questions at the Kowloon Tong headquarters of Hong Kong's public radio and television station. Asked repeatedly whether the public broadcaster would be able to remain independent and whether it might have to take "political directives", the veteran news chief noted that editorial... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1847325/hong-kongs-new-broadcasting-chief-has-work-cut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1847325/hong-kongs-new-broadcasting-chief-has-work-cut?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2015 03:45:00 +0000 Two City University students yesterday filed a judicial review application, asking a court to quash the Town Planning Board’s decision to allow residential development on a former green-belt site in Shek Kip Mei. The two applicants are environmental policy student Kwok Ka-ping and accounting student Lau Tung-kiu. The land in dispute is Tai Wo Ping, at the north of Shek Kip Mei. On May 15, the board rezoned the two-hectare site from green-belt use to residential. The government is seeking to turn... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1847274/hong-kong-court-urged-quash-decision-build-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1847274/hong-kong-court-urged-quash-decision-build-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Aug 2015 23:01:03 +0000 A High Court judge yesterday granted permission for six retired officers of the Fire Services Department to further argue their case in challenging rules governing their housing benefits. The six men filed the application after they were asked to move out of the department's quarters. A hearing is slated for October 30. The six are seeking a review of the department's decision to evict them, which came as the Housing Authority decided to reject their applications for public housing under the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1847110/hong-kong-firefighters-have-legitimate-expectations-getting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1847110/hong-kong-firefighters-have-legitimate-expectations-getting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Aug 2015 10:00:30 +0000 A vocational student was ordered today to perform 80 hours of community service for throwing a plastic water bottle at a police officer, injuring the officer’s right thigh during protests in March against parallel trading. Tuen Mun Court Deputy Magistrate So Kai-cheung said he determined the sentence based on the recommendations of a community service order report, which says 20-year-old Chiu Kwok-hong showed remorse for the incident. So reminded Chiu to follow the instructions of the community... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846690/protester-who-threw-water-bottle-hong-kong-cop-gets-80?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846690/protester-who-threw-water-bottle-hong-kong-cop-gets-80?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2015 04:30:45 +0000 The Housing Authority is asking an appeal court to send an order for it to pay HK$71 million in outstanding management fees on a Tin Shui Wai estate back to the Lands Tribunal for reconsideration as the tribunal judge failed to determine when part of the fees were incurred. Included in the sum was HK$30 million that was incurred between December 1999 and October 2001 and for which the authority had told the tribunal it did not accept liability because a law provided for only up to 12 years in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846374/hong-kongs-housing-authority-contests-bill-hk30m-management?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846374/hong-kongs-housing-authority-contests-bill-hk30m-management?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2015 07:15:15 +0000 Residents of a Tsing Yi private housing estate, faced with a disputed HK$160 million renovation contract, have moved a step closer to invoking a law to set up an owners' corporation to protect themselves. Yesterday, the Lands Tribunal ordered a representative of the residents of Mayfair Gardens to set up a management committee to prepare for the establishment of the corporation. It is the first time that residents of a housing estate have sought to form a corporation under section four of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846176/tsing-yi-residents-take-step-closer-setting-corporation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846176/tsing-yi-residents-take-step-closer-setting-corporation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Aug 2015 16:02:09 +0000 Five retired prison officers yesterday applied for a judicial review of rules on government housing for civil servants after they were ordered out of their homes and refused public flats. Applicants Stephen Chua Pui-fun, Chan Lai-keung, Mok Kam-pui, Man Lai-por and Chau Chun-kwan retired in 2011 and 2012 at the rank of assistant officer. They had served the Correctional Services Department for up to 33 years each. They are seeking a review of the Housing Authority's decision to reject their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1845792/retired-hong-kong-wardens-challenge-eviction-public-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1845792/retired-hong-kong-wardens-challenge-eviction-public-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Aug 2015 21:05:01 +0000 A social activist who crossed a police barrier around a protest zone last year was ordered yesterday to perform 200 hours of community service after he was found guilty of resisting a police officer. The activist, Cheng Ho-man, a 23-year-old member of the group Civic Passion, said outside Eastern Court that he would consider filing an appeal against the sentence. Cheng was convicted on July 16 of one count of resisting an officer for the incident in September, when he was arrested for crossing a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1845274/hong-kong-protester-who-crossed-police-barricade-sentenced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1845274/hong-kong-protester-who-crossed-police-barricade-sentenced?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jul 2015 18:57:19 +0000 A woman allegedly caused the police force's website to crash by using software to access it more than 7,000 times in 24 minutes last October during the early days of the Occupy protests, a court heard yesterday. The defendant, Chu Ting-ting, a 23-year-old sales supervisor at a food shop, pleaded not guilty at Eastern Court to one count of criminal damage and an alternative charge of obtaining access to a computer with criminal intent. At about 11pm on October 3, employees of the contractor that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844858/occupy-cyberattack-led-hong-kong-police-website-crash-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844858/occupy-cyberattack-led-hong-kong-police-website-crash-after?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:35:33 +0000 An elderly bicycle repair man performed a celebratory handstand yesterday after charges against him of illegal hawking and causing an obstruction in the street were dropped. Jubilant Suen Tak-fui, 65, launched into his impromptu acrobatic act outside Sha Tin Court after learning that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department would also return all the property it seized from him when he was arrested on June 28. After hearing the prosecution's request to withdraw the charges, Special... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844761/elderly-bicycle-repairman-walks-free-hong-kong-court-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844761/elderly-bicycle-repairman-walks-free-hong-kong-court-after?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2015 03:45:30 +0000 A social activist challenged testimony by two policewomen that they warned her before carrying her out of an occupied zone near the chief executive's office in Admiralty last October. Policewoman Tsz Wing-yee told Eastern Court she was deployed to restore traffic and order at Lung Wo Road at midnight on October 15. At about 3am, she was instructed to remove Li Sin-chi, a 55-year-old member of the League of Social Democrats, who was sitting on the pavement near the junction of Lung Wo Road and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844605/hong-kong-activist-denies-she-was-warned-police-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1844605/hong-kong-activist-denies-she-was-warned-police-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2015 19:15:28 +0000 A senior official in Hong Kong’s Government Logistics Department today admitted cheating the administration of about HK$4.2 million in monthly rental allowances and down-payment loans over a 10-year period. Represented by barrister Clive Grossman SC, Leung Chiu-ping, controller of the Land Transport Division of the department, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud. Prosecutor Samantha Chiu Ping-yan withdrew the fraud charge against the 56-year-old’s wife Helen Law Pik-hang. Setting out the brief... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1843967/top-civil-servant-admits-defrauding-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1843967/top-civil-servant-admits-defrauding-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jul 2015 05:15:15 +0000 A group of cab drivers smashed a taxi yesterday, calling for the government to curb the practice of private car drivers offering cheaper rides through car-hailing mobile apps such as Uber. To Sun-tong, a spokesman for the Motor Transport Workers General Union, said some members had seen revenue drop by 20 per cent after the introduction of mobile apps in Hong Kong. He foresaw that their revenues would decrease further if the government did not take prompt action. Smashing the taxi to vent anger... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1843490/uber-anger-hong-kong-cabbies-smash-taxi-protest-against-car-hailing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1843490/uber-anger-hong-kong-cabbies-smash-taxi-protest-against-car-hailing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jul 2015 19:45:15 +0000 The newly-appointed privacy commissioner has vowed to strike a balance between privacy protection and the free flow of information. Barrister Stephen Wong Kai-yi, 60, who served as legal counsel with the Justice Department from 1986 to 2007, spoke to the South China Morning Post after the government yesterday announced his new role as privacy commissioner for personal data for a term of five years starting on August 4. He was also the secretary to the Law Reform Commission from 2012 to last year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1843525/new-hong-kong-privacy-chief-vows-balance-flow-information?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1843525/new-hong-kong-privacy-chief-vows-balance-flow-information?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jul 2015 19:45:15 +0000 A former top official of the equality watchdog was entitled to share a different point of view from his employer on gay rights, student leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung's father said yesterday. Roger Wong Wai-ming was testifying in court for the ex-chief officer of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Josiah Chok Kin-ming, who is chasing the commission at the Labour Tribunal for a gratuity of HK$867,000. The watchdog decided not to grant the gratuity that came with Chok's role after he attended a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842792/christian-former-hong-kong-equality-watchdog-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842792/christian-former-hong-kong-equality-watchdog-official?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jul 2015 08:15:45 +0000 A computer programmer hit a policeman on the shoulder with his hand and slapped another on the face after he was subdued for pushing a barricade during last year's Occupy protest in Mong Kok, a court heard yesterday. Cheung Tak-chuen, 29, pleaded not guilty at Kwun Tong Court to two counts of assaulting police officers. One of the two alleged victims, Constable Chan Tung-on, said he first noticed Cheung on October 17 while performing crowd control duties along Nathan Road. "He was emotional,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842558/computer-programmer-denies-assaulting-two-police-officers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842558/computer-programmer-denies-assaulting-two-police-officers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jul 2015 19:45:45 +0000 The police have started investigating a magistrate's allegation that Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li perverted the course of justice in handling his complaint against a judge, a Justice Department spokesman said yesterday. The complaint was launched by Eastern Court magistrate Symon Wong Yu-wing, who was criticised by former Deputy High Court Judge Mr Justice Michael Stuart-Moore for "bringing disgrace to the judiciary" in handling a bail application, a Chinese-language media report alleged... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842349/hong-kong-police-probe-magistrates-perversion-allegation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842349/hong-kong-police-probe-magistrates-perversion-allegation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jul 2015 22:15:00 +0000 A repeat offender was jailed for two years for conning 15 teenage schoolgirls out of mobile phones and cash valued at about HK$60,000, after claiming he had dropped his wallet and money. Jailing unemployed Li Wai-hung, 37, for 15 counts of theft, Deputy District Court Judge Ernest Lin Kam-hung said the tricks adopted by Li were "unsophisticated" but were "surprisingly successful". Lin said: "The defendant invented a story to gain the victims' trust and sympathy before asking for a loan." He had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842213/unemployed-hong-kong-man-jailed-two-years-deceiving-15?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842213/unemployed-hong-kong-man-jailed-two-years-deceiving-15?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jul 2015 20:49:29 +0000 A former prison officer who molested two underage girls in a hotel after telling them he was casting for models was jailed for four years yesterday. Lam Pik-fu, 42, committed the crimes just three weeks after being released from prison for similar offences. Deputy Judge Ivy Chui Yee-mei condemned him for manipulating teenage girls who lacked life experience to satisfy his own needs. "The defendant's acts are contemptible and despicable," Chui said, adding that he needed to receive psychiatric... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842217/four-year-jail-term-former-hong-kong-prison-officer-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1842217/four-year-jail-term-former-hong-kong-prison-officer-who?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jul 2015 20:49:29 +0000 A man and a woman who made nuisance phone calls to a high-ranking policeman after he was captured on television footage beating a supporter of the Occupy movement were put on probation for one year. Passing sentence on Kwong Kai-hong, 28, and Esther Poon Sheung-yin, 21, magistrate Rita So Ka-yin said it was malicious to make persistent calls causing "annoyance, inconvenience and anxiety" to a person. Both had pleaded guilty to two counts of making persistent phone calls to Superintendent... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1840977/nuisance-callers-top-policeman-involved-hong-kong-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1840977/nuisance-callers-top-policeman-involved-hong-kong-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jul 2015 19:45:06 +0000 A magistrate yesterday questioned why prosecutors had taken a full year to bring four activists - including Scholarism convenor Joshua Wong Chi-fung - to court for allegedly obstructing police officers in the execution of their duties. Eastern Court Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai reminded the prosecution that League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming, 26; lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, 60; Federation of Students secretary general Nathan Law Kwun-chung, 22; and Joshua Wong,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1840769/joshua-wong-and-hong-kong-activists-may-have-faced-undue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1840769/joshua-wong-and-hong-kong-activists-may-have-faced-undue?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jul 2015 04:30:00 +0000 A participant in a protest against cross-border traders on March 1 was yesterday found guilty of assaulting a police chief inspector by hitting him with her breast. Tuen Mun deputy magistrate Michael Chan Pik-kiu convicted Ng Lai-ying, 30, who works at a shipping company, of using her chest to bump against the right arm of Chief Inspector Chan Ka-po - who was trying to control the chaotic protest in Yuen Long that day. A 14-year-old pupil whose name was not disclosed in open court for legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1840630/hong-kong-protester-convicted-assaulting-police-officer-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1840630/hong-kong-protester-convicted-assaulting-police-officer-her?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jul 2015 19:19:47 +0000 An elderly man who repaired bicycles in his neighbourhood appeared in court yesterday charged with illegal hawking and causing obstruction in the street. But at the start of the case, the prosecution told Special Magistrate Chan Chi-kim the case would be adjourned to July 29 to see if there was another way for the Department of Justice to deal with the charges. The court heard that friends of Suen Tak-fui, 65, had asked the department to intervene. Suen is accused of having bicycle tyres, spare... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1839350/elderly-hong-kong-man-charged-illegal-hawking-after-fixing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1839350/elderly-hong-kong-man-charged-illegal-hawking-after-fixing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jul 2015 07:30:45 +0000 In an unprecedented move to reassure Hong Kong's public housing residents over a spreading lead contamination scare, the government will collect tap water samples for testing from 10 more estates involving about 24,000 households. It will also set up a task force comprising experts and representatives from different departments to probe the discovery of excessive levels of lead in three public rental estates - Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon City, Kwai Luen Estate in Kwai Chung, and Shui Chuen O... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1839331/water-samples-be-taken-10-hong-kong-public-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1839331/water-samples-be-taken-10-hong-kong-public-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jul 2015 05:00:00 +0000 An elderly couple who molested and assaulted a passer-by at an Occupy protest in Mong Kok last year avoided prison today when a magistrate said she passed lenient sentences because of their history of cancer. So Suet-ling, 65, was jailed for two weeks, suspended for one year, for molesting a woman, named as “X” in court for legal reasons, while her husband Chan Nam-sing, 72, was fined HK$8,000 for molesting X. So had previously pleaded not guilty to one count of common assault, while Chan denied... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1838623/elderly-couple-avoid-jail-attacking-woman-hong-kong-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1838623/elderly-couple-avoid-jail-attacking-woman-hong-kong-occupy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jul 2015 07:30:00 +0000 Hong Kong society risks creating an "Orwellian memory hole" if it allows an order by the privacy watchdog to remove information from a website, a market analyst argued at a hearing yesterday. David Webb, who runs Webb-site.com was challenging the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data's order for him last year to redact names that appeared in reports on three court judgments on a matrimonial case that were handed down years ago. The former investment banker said that if people could sanitise... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1838368/hong-kong-privacy-watchdogs-order-remove-names-website-would-create?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1838368/hong-kong-privacy-watchdogs-order-remove-names-website-would-create?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jul 2015 09:00:15 +0000