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A 54-year-old man was convicted for hawking without a licence and assaulting Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) officers at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (December 30).
He was charged with obstructing public officers in the execution of duty, common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, obstruction of a public place and hawking without a licence. He was sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment for each of the first three charges, to run concurrently and suspended for 12 months, and fined $500 for each of the two remaining charges. The exhibits of the defendant on the offence date were confiscated.
The court heard that two FEHD officers were attacked by the defendant during a blitz operation against unlicensed hawkers at the pedestrian precinct at Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok on September 9 this year.
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 injured public officers through civil litigation," he added.
Ends/Monday, December 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:43
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