Six cops sentenced to 25 to 41 months for framing homeless for drug possession

Six police officers were sentenced to 25 to 41 months for perverting the course of justice after they framed a homeless man for drug possession in 2020.

A total of eight officers were accused of beating two street sleepers -- the 67-year-old Nguyen and the late 54-year-old Le Van Muoi from Vietnam -- and damaging their belongings as well as framing one of them for drug possession during two drug busts carried out at Sham Shui Po Tung Chau Street Park in February 2020.

Le was subsequently arrested for possessing dangerous drugs and was charged in March 2020. He committed suicide on October 8 that year in a cell at Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre where he was remanded.

The eight defendants in the case are Kwok Chin-sing, Hon Ting-kwong, Leung Fei-pang, Pong Chun-sze, Lam Wah-ka, Mok Chi-shing, Wan Pak-Sze and Chan Sau-yip, aged between 27 and 46, while Kwok and Hon were acquitted of all charges last month.

The District Judge Kathie Cheung Kit-yee on Thursday handed down 25 to 41 months of jail terms to the six officers convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Cheung stated that the primary responsibility of the police force is to protect the public; however, the actions of the six defendants constituted an abuse of authority, involving the submission of false statements to frame an innocent homeless man and they were not acting alone.

She emphasized that these actions were of a serious nature and would erode public trust and brought shame to the police force. Cheung noted that prison terms are the only option in order to ensure judicial fairness.

Sergeant Lam Wah-ka has been sentenced to 41 months in jail, while the other five were sentenced to 25 to 37 months.