Coroner reminds jury to make ruling based on evidence than opinion

A Coroner's Court probe into the death of University of Science and Technology student Chow Tsz-lok during the social unrest in 2019 told jurors to only make their own judgments based on evidence rather than on their personal views.

Coroner David Ko Wai-hung gave instructions to the five-member jury on the 27th day of the inquest, stressing that people indeed have different stances towards social issues, but their judgments should not be clouded by their own beliefs.

Ko said the night Chow took the fall in the car park, a protest took place nearby with police firing tear gases, but there are no evidence showing Chow had taken part in a protest, jurors should not make assumptions of the reason for Chow being there.

Ko also said he believes a flash captured by a security camera was indeed the moment Chow fell, saying the time of the footage matched the other evidence.

The coroner said it’s up to the jurors to accept or reject which of the 48 witness testimonies and 142 pieces of evidence that were submitted to the court.

After the coroner finishes summing up the case, the jury will retire and try to reach a verdict.