Coroner hits out at Fire Services

A coroner criticized the Fire Services Department for acting irresponsibly after it failed to arrange a legal representative for the hearing on University of Science and Technology student Chow Tsz-lok yesterday, causing it to be adjourned until Monday.

Chow, then 22, died of brain injuries four days after he fell from the third floor to the second floor of a car park at Tseung Kwan O's Sheung Tak Estate in the early hours of November 4 last year, while police clashed with protesters nearby.

Coroner Ko Wai-hung last week added the Fire Services Department as an interested party in the case after new evidence surfaced in security camera footage, causing the hearing last Thursday to be adjourned.

Cheung Ngao-tin, division officer of the Fire Services Headquarters Command, told the court yesterday that more time is needed for his department to arrange a legal representative.

He said the department had planned to give the role to barrister Samson Hung Kin-man, who is already representing the police, but later decided that this arrangement was not appropriate.

Ko criticized the department for acting irresponsibly, telling Cheung: "I can't give you an infinite amount of time. There's no reason you can't find a lawyer in days. Is it so difficult to find one?"

"The Department of Justice should consider the urgency of the inquest," he added.

Ko eventually accepted Cheung's request to postpone the hearing for a week, although he said it is not ideal, as the testimonies might not be able to finish on schedule next Friday and the memories of the jury could be affected if the hearing lasts too long.

Speaking outside the court, Chow's father Chow Tak-ming said he understood the difficulties faced by the Fire Services Department, adding he hoped the hearing would end soon, as "such an unhappy event is very stressful."

mandy.zheng@singtaonewscorp.com