Top judge’s niece handed suspended jail term after damaging car with flowerpot

Amina Bokhary, the niece of the Court of Final Appeal’s non-permanent judge Kemal Bokhary, was on Friday jailed for two months, suspended for 18 months, for damaging a private car by throwing a 15 kg flowerpot from her Happy Valley home last December. 

The 46-year-old was earlier convicted of criminally damaging a private car belonging to a woman named Chan at Greenville Gardens, Shiu Fai Terrace, in Wan Chai on December 14, 2022. 

The District Court case was heard at the Eastern Court today, where Magistrate Edward Wong Ching-yu noted that this incident caused severe damage to the two cars’ windscreens and pointed to the serious nature of the case. 

Wong also recalled Amina had a similar criminal record and had been jailed for driving without a license, saying this conviction indicated she had no remorse and immediate imprisonment was the only option. 

Yet, Wong noted that Amina had bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and was stressed over her strained family relationships. 

Wong also said Amina was weak at handling pressure and emotions and inclined to vent her feelings aggressively. He agreed the case escalated from a family dispute to a criminal offense. 

Amina had compensated the two car owners and had been remanded in custody for two weeks. It was also unlikely that she would commit the crime again, Wong said as he handed down the suspended two-month jail term. 

The court heard that Amina was unsatisfied with her domestic helper’s performance and locked her out of the home. Amina then tossed the helper’s personal belongings out of the building, damaging a private car. 

The next day, Amina threw a 15 kg flowerpot out of her home and damaged another private car. She was then charged with two counts of criminal damage and a count of theft.