Grenville Cross launches new HK sentencing guide with national security rules

The 12th edition of "Sentencing in Hong Kong," a local legal reference book revised by former Director of Public Prosecutions Grenville Cross, was launched at a ceremony on Wednesday, with Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung as the guest of honour and more than 100 guests in attendance.

Cross, speaking at the event, said he had long felt Hong Kong needed its own sentencing reference book, having arrived at a time when no such local legal text existed. He said the territory's extensive body of case law had provided ample justification for a local reference.

The new edition includes updated sentencing guidelines on trafficking of cocaine, heroin and ice, new approaches to aggravating and mitigating factors, calculation of sentences for multiple offences, and sentencing for national security offences.

Cheung emphasised the role of sentencing in maintaining public confidence in criminal justice, describing it as "not merely a technical exercise in calculating penalties." He said the reference book has served as an "indispensable guide for legal practitioners" since its first edition.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓