By Coconuts Hong Kong December 24, 2015 /17:11 HKT
A 52-year-old man has been arrested after netizens identified him as the driver in a video of a hit-and-run on a dog last week.
The man, named Ricky Cheung, was apparently filmed on the afternoon of Dec. 16, in a seven-second clip which seems to show his van hitting one of two dogs that were crossing the road, before hurriedly driving away.
According to Apple Daily, the dog, a four-year-old female mongrel named Alan, died from her injuries. Yeah, we know. Cool name.
Locals of Yuen Long, where the incident happened, shared the videoon social media, where it went viral as people attempted to identify the culprit. Netizens eventually identified Cheung after running the van licence plate.
His family was reportedly reached by an animal rights volunteer, but declined to comment. The animal rights group was reportedly angered by the response, and posted personal information and family photographs of Cheung online.
Ming Pao (as translated by EJI) reports that the father of two came forward and confessed to his responsibility for Alan's death, expressing his regret and desire for forgiveness.
Cheung emphasised that he was alone when the accident occurred and that no other members of his family were involved in Alan's death, asking netizens to respect his family's privacy.
The case was passed onto a criminal investigation team from Yuen Long District Police, who arrested Cheung for animal cruelty, the maximum penalty for which is three years' imprisonment.
He has been released on bail and will report back to police in early January.
Barrister Albert Luk said the online manhunt for Cheung could be considered cyber bullying, as netizens published the private information about Cheung and his family. Luk said Cheung's relatives could file a civil lawsuit for defamation.
The practice of hunting for a person and publishing their details online is referred to as "doxxing", but the phenomenon is also known as a "human flesh search engine" in China, where corrupt officials are often identified and publicly shamed by netizens.
According to section 56 of the Road Traffic Ordinance, a driver must report to the police within 24 hours if his or her vehicle hits animals or other objects on the road.
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/12/24/netizens-hunt-down-driver-who-killed-dog-hit-and-run
