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A 60-year-old licensed itinerant hawker who assaulted five Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) officers has been convicted of three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of common assault. He was sentenced to three weeks' imprisonment for each of the charges, to run concurrently and suspended for three years, in Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts today (April 19). The defendant was also fined $1,000 for each of the three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Hawker Control Team officers witnessed the hawker causing obstruction on the pavement outside MTR Lai King Station Exit A1 at Lai King Hill Road in Kwai Chung on January 3 this year. They were assaulted when they asked him to leave.
An FEHD spokesman reminded members of the public to co-operate with law enforcement officers. According to section 139 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Chapter 132), any person who wilfully obstructs, resists or uses abusive language to any law enforcement officer in the execution of his duties is liable to a maximum fine of $25,000 and six months' imprisonment.
"To use force against public officers is not right and offenders will have a criminal record when convicted. Furthermore, the FEHD will claim from offenders losses arising from the absence of duty of the injured public officers through civil litigation," he added.
Ends/Friday, April 19, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:44
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