Bail for unrest-charge driver amid hygiene push at courts

A 37-year-old cross-boundary driver charged with jamming the road during the anti-fugitive bill unrest was granted bail after he was ordered not to appear in court due to the virus scare.

The prosecution asked magistrates at Kwun Tong courts not to allow the defendant, Chan Wai-kit, in because he had made trips to the mainland recently, even though he was waiting outside the building yesterday.

He has been charged with dangerous driving and resisting the police.

As Chan waited outside the court building, the defense lawyer said his client had just returned from the mainland and that it was not suitable for him to attend the hearing due to public health concerns.

The lawyer also said he would apply for bail on behalf of his client and let him know the bail conditions.

The magistrate allowed him to be released on bail of HK$10,000 and adjourned the hearing to March 16.

Chan was not allowed to leave Hong Kong and must report to a police station every week.

He was accused of driving a motor vehicle dangerously at the roundabout at the junction of Po Lam Road North and Po Shun Road in Tseung Kwan O on August 4.

He was also accused of resisting three police officers on Po Fung Road.

Before the hearing, people had to clean their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer before entering the court. The court building improved hygiene by disinfecting the public area and the lift buttons each hour.

The judiciary announced on Saturday that, because of public health concerns, all hearings of courts or tribunals originally scheduled from February 3 to 9 will be adjourned to a date to be fixed.

However, the courts will still handle urgent and essential hearings or matters during this period, including fresh remand cases, urgent and essential bail-related reviews and other urgent applications to the courts. These will be handled in accordance with the established mechanisms, including the duty judge system.

Courts and tribunal registries and offices will continue to be closed until Sunday, except for providing support for the handling of urgent and essential court hearings or matters.

sophie.hui@singtaonewscorp.com