Disgraced actor-singer Edison Chen Koon-hei has, for the first time, identified the four female celebrities who appeared with him in sex photos which were widely circulated on the internet last year and which caused his self-imposed exile in Canada.Chen reluctantly identified actor-singer Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi, Twins member Gillian Chung Yan-tung, singer Bobo Chan Man-woon and model Rachel Ngan Sze-wing during questioning by court officials who had flown to Vancouver to record his evidence. He had earlier refused to cause the women further embarrassment.
Chen appeared in court wearing a black suit. He was accompanied by his mother, manager and several bodyguards.
He was giving evidence in the case against computer technician Sze Ho-chun, 23, who is accused of illegally distributing explicit photos of Chen and several other women performing sexual acts, via the internet.
Chen stressed most of the photos were taken by him between 2001 and 2006 and were for his own possession. He admitted one of the women took about 40 photos and burned them onto a disc and gave it to him.
"This was never meant for anyone else to see," Chen said, adding that "everything was consensual."
Chen said the photos were stored in his computer. He deleted them before taking the computer for repairs in the summer of 2006. He said he did not know erased files could be recovered.
"That had led me to believe that there was some foul play in this computer store," he said.
Chen testified
he also noticed a second laptop missing when he moved but told the judge he did not disclose his password to anyone.On January 29, 2008, he said his friends told him about the photos circulating on the internet.
"This was a very huge shock to me," Chen said.
Hundreds of photos surfaced on the internet over the next few days, posted by a person who netizens nicknamed "Killer." Advance notices were posted before photos were uploaded.
Chen said the images were released in batches.
"It was more of an attack, a well-planned attack in the way these images were released," he said.
Chen gave evidence in the British Columbia Supreme Court in front of a Hong Kong magistrate and lawyers and a Canadian judge after refusing to return to Hong Kong.
The hearing was expected to last for a week but was wrapped up in just a day. Chen was expected to return to court some time today to sign relevant documents. Dozens of Hong Kong and Canadian reporters swamped Chen as he left the court.
Sze's trial is due to begin on April 6 at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts.
