Artiste Roy Chow pleads guilty to spitting at cop after being arrested for threatening wife

Artiste Roy Chow Wing-hang on Tuesday pleaded guilty to resisting and assaulting a police officer for refusing to let the cop collect his fingerprints and spitting at the cop in April, after he was arrested for threatening to slash his wife to death. 

At Tuen Mun Court today, acting principal magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai said although the officer was not injured in the incident, it was extremely insulting of Chow to spit at the cop. 

Given that Chow might be affected by mood disorder at the time, Cheung adjourned the sentencing to September 12, pending psychiatrist’s report, probation and community service order report. 

Thirty-nine-year-old Chow continued to be granted bail. 

The charges alleged Chow of resisting and assaulting a police officer in Yuen Long police station on April 20. 

He faced another count of criminal intimidation for threatening his wife at their Tin Shui Wai home on April 16, but the charge was dropped by the prosecution. 

The court heard Chow was arrested on April 17 over another case and he immediately requested to be sent to a hospital. 

On April 20, Chow resisted the officer involved in this case when the officer attempted to bring Chow from the temporarily holding cell to another room to take his fingerprints. 

Chow didn’t submit after the officer gave him multiple warnings. The officer and his colleagues then forcefully brought Chow into another room to take his fingerprints, but Chow still closed his fists tightly. The cops then arrested Chow for the second time. 

Chow again requested to be sent to hospital. As he was placed on a stretcher and moved onto the ambulance, Chow spitted at the officer as he passed the report room. 

In mitigation, defense lawyer said Chow headed to the police station to explain that his mood disorder was triggered by a previous argument with his wife. Yet, the officer directly took Chow in to take his fingerprints and made Chow felt aggrieved. 

“They didn’t even investigate the case and ordered me to leave my fingerprints. No way I am doing that,” Chow was quoted as saying. 

The lawyer agreed Chow should have followed the officer’s instructions instead of letting his rage to take charge of him. The lawyer also called on the court to pass down non-detention punishment.