The seven were ordered to appear at District Court on December 8 and each granted bail of HK$1,000
CHRIS LAU
CHRIS.LAU@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 4:42pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 5:08pm
The seven accused policemen had their case transferred following a prosecutor’s request. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The case of seven policemen accused of beating up Occupy protester Ken Tsang Kin-chiu has been transferred to District Court, bringing the matter one step closer for the court to learn their pleas.
Chief inspector Wong Cho-shing, 48, senior inspector Lau Cheuk-ngai, 29, detective sergeant Pak Wing-bun, 42, and constables Lau Hing-pui, 38, Chan Siu-tan, 31, Kwan Ka-ho, 32, and Wong Wai-ho, 36, face one joint charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Chan also faces one extra count of common assault.
They have not yet been required to make a plea.
In court today, David Leung Cheuk-yin SC, a deputy director of public prosecutions, applied for the case to be transferred to the higher level court in Wan Chai.
“The proceedings are transferred to the District Court accordingly,” Eastern Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai said.
She ordered the defendants to appear there on December 8 and granted the defendants bail in the amount of HK$1,000 each.
The seven arrived at Eastern Court in two black seven-seater vehicles today at about 2pm, greeted by a score of supporters chanting “support the seven police”.
Civic Party member and Occupy protester Ken Tsang Kin-chiu appearing in Eastern Court on charges of obstructing and assaulting police officers. Photo: Sam Tsang
The supporters, led by Justice Alliance convenor Leticia Lee See-yin, gathered outside the building’s front door and rehearsed slogans in a designated protest zone an hour before the policemen arrived.
“There is no justice in Hong Kong when rioters become martyrs,” they yelled during their practice.
What appeared to be a separate protest zone set aside for Tsang supporters was empty.
Nevertheless, heightened security measures were taken as dozens of police officers made sure journalists, forced to stay in a restricted zone with their cameras, would not get in the way of the arriving policemen.
After their hearing, the seven met in a conference room at the court building with their lawyers before leaving.
The court heard earlier that the seven allegedly “unlawfully and maliciously” caused grievous bodily harm to Tsang with intent outside a pump station near Lung Wui Road Government Building in Admiralty on October 15 last year.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1879797/one-step-closer-hong-kong-policemen-charged-ken-tsang
