A man accused of uploading sex photos of top entertainment stars in an internet scandal that rocked the city earlier this year will go on trial next month. Yesterday, Kwok Chun-wai, a clerk, pleaded not guilty to three counts of uploading obscene articles on 84 computer files.
Among the photos were explicit shots of Twins singing star Gillian Chung Yan-tung, taken by movie star and Canto-pop singer Edison Chen Koon-hei who was forced to issue a public apology over the scandal.
The offenses were allegedly committed in January and February.
Kwun Tong principal magistrate Josiah Lam Wai-kuen transferred the case to Kowloon City magistracy for a three-day hearing, beginning on July 21.
Seven prosecution witnesses will take the stand at the hearing.
Kwok, 24, was allowed to extend his bail and a pre-trial review will be held on July 3.
Meanwhile in a separate case, Chung Yik-tin, 29, the first person detained in connection with the scandal, appeared in Eastern Magistrates' Court yesterday.
He faces 18 counts of using false accounting to apply for 32 credit cards from 11 banks between 2003 and 2006.
Chung, against whom all charges arising from the internet scandal were dropped unconditionally, entered no plea. Principal Magistrate Garry Tallentire adjourned the case to June 20 for a hearing in the District Court. Chung was allowed HK$50,000 cash bail.
The prosecution claims that in applying for the cards, Chung described himself as the manager o
f a motor car company with seven years' experience earning a monthly salary of HK$48,000.The original obscene photo charges were dropped after the Obscene Articles Tribunal ruled the pictures were indecent, not obscene.
Chung had been refused bail and spent two weeks in custody, giving rise to accusations of double standards by the police.
Obscene Articles Tribunal adjudicator Mervyn Cheung Man-ping said police should be given guidelines on what was obscene and indecent.
