{"id":1064,"date":"2024-07-24T01:13:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T17:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/?p=1064"},"modified":"2024-09-07T01:20:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T17:20:57","slug":"court-of-first-instance-quashed-conviction-as-magistrate-entered-into-the-arena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/court-of-first-instance-quashed-conviction-as-magistrate-entered-into-the-arena\/","title":{"rendered":"Court of First Instance quashed conviction as magistrate entered into the arena"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t<section class=\"section news-detail-section\" id=\"section_809748226\">\n\t\t<div class=\"bg section-bg fill bg-fill  bg-loaded\" >\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<div class=\"section-content relative\">\n\t\t\t\n\n\t<div id=\"text-1308119100\" class=\"text breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\n\n<p><span style=\"color: #627A80;\nfont-family: Merriweather;\nfont-size: 13px;\nfont-style: normal;\nfont-weight: 400;\nline-height: 150%; \/* 19.5px *\/\nletter-spacing: 0.39px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/\">Home<\/a> \/ <a href=\"\/news\/\">News<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#section_809748226 {\n  padding-top: 0px;\n  padding-bottom: 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\t<section class=\"section news-detail-section\" id=\"section_1653513024\">\n\t\t<div class=\"bg section-bg fill bg-fill  bg-loaded\" >\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<div class=\"section-content relative\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-1202243167\">\n\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1713477887\" class=\"col medium-12 small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t<div id=\"text-631958697\" class=\"text h3\">\n\t\t\n\n<p>Court of First Instance quashed conviction as magistrate entered into the arena<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div id=\"text-851136912\" class=\"text h5\">\n\t\t\n\n<p><strong>HKSAR v Z.Q.F.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\n<style>\n#text-851136912 {\n  font-size: 1.25rem;\n  text-align: left;\n  color: #003d4c;\n}\n#text-851136912 > * {\n  color: #003d4c;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div id=\"text-1167583380\" class=\"text txt-bold\">\n\t\t\n\n<p>24 July 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_997198521\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ZQF-appeal-allowed-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ZQF-appeal-allowed-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ZQF-appeal-allowed-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ZQF-appeal-allowed-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ZQF-appeal-allowed-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ZQF-appeal-allowed.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_997198521 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t<div id=\"gap-1861243221\" class=\"gap-element clearfix\" style=\"display:block; height:auto;\">\n\t\t\n<style>\n#gap-1861243221 {\n  padding-top: 0px;\n}\n@media (min-width:550px) {\n  #gap-1861243221 {\n    padding-top: 40px;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n<p>Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done. The Court of First Instance reiterated the importance that all defendants should be given a fair trial.<br \/><br \/>The Appellant was charged with, inter alia, indecently assaulting his daughter X. He pleaded not guilty and stood trial before a Magistrate. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 12 months\u2019 imprisonment. In January 2024, the Appellant was granted bail pending appeal by Hon Anna Lai J. <br \/><br \/>DHCJ E Lee allowed the Appellant\u2019s appeal against conviction on the ground that the trial magistrate had entered into the arena. On appeal, the Appellant made three complaints: (1) the Magistrate asked almost 60 questions after the prosecution indicated that they had no re-examination. Subsequently, the trial magistrate used X\u2019s answers to these questions as \u201cammunition\u201d for him to eventually dispel the Appellant\u2019s defence and convict the Appellant (following \ud835\udc6f\ud835\udc90 \ud835\udc7e\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc8a \ud835\udc73\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc8e (\u4f55\u7152\u6797) [2022] HKCFI 1736 \ud835\udc7e\ud835\udc90\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc88 \ud835\udc6f\ud835\udc8a\ud835\udc8f \ud835\udc7e\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc8a (\u9ec3\u9a2b\u7def) [2022] HKCFI 2935); (2) the Magistrate substantially interjected\/interrupted when the Appellant gave evidence. Arithmetically, the Magistrate intervened 41.94%, 35.03%, and 37.6% during the Appellant\u2019s Examination-in-Chief, Cross-examination, and Re-examination. On the other hand, the Magistrate did not interrupt at all during X\u2019s evidence; (3) the Magistrate\u2019s judicial temperament leads to a reasonable bystander to doubt whether he was afforded a fair trial. Amongst other things, the Magistrate said (in the course of the Appellant\u2019s evidence) \u201cCan you not use the phrase \u201cnormally\u201d when giving evidence? I am not sure whether you are normal or not\u201d (\u53ef\u5514\u53ef\u4ee5\u5514\u597d\u8b1b\u300e\u6b63\u5e38\u300f\u5462\u5169\u500b\u5b57!\u6211\u5514\u77e5\u4f60\u6b63\u5e38\u5b9a\u5514\u6b63\u5e38!); \u201cEven your counsel cannot understand your answers. You are probably the only person in this world will understand what you say\u2026I won\u2019t need you to clarify if I understand. We know how to read! Don\u2019t we?\u201d (\u4f60\u5f8b\u5e2b\u90fd\u5514\u660e\u5605\uff0c\u4fc2\u5168\u4e16\u754c\u5f97\u4f60\u4e00\u500b\u660e\u35ce\u556b!\u660e\u5c31\u5514\u6d17\u4f60\u6f84\u6e05\u5566! \u5514\u8b58\u5b57\u54a9\u6211\u54cb!\u4fc2\u54aa?!). The Court agreed that the cumulative effect of the three complaints is that the Appellant had been deprived of a fair trial (applying \ud835\udc73\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc8e \ud835\udc7b\ud835\udc8a\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc88 \ud835\udc7e\ud835\udc8a\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc88 (\u6797\u5929\u8a60) [2022] HKCA 240). <br \/><br \/>Having allowed the appeal, the Court also ordered the Respondent to pay costs of the appeal to the Appellant. <\/p>\n<p>Simon So (with Herman Ho) representend the Appellant in obtaining bail pending appeal before Hon Anna Lai J. Simon So (with Herman Ho and Jack Hui) representend the Appellant in the appeal against conviction. The Full Judgement was published on <a href=\"https:\/\/legalref.judiciary.hk\/lrs\/common\/search\/search_result_detail_frame.jsp?DIS=162331&amp;QS=%2B%7C%28%282024%29%2CHKCFI%2C2113%29&amp;TP=JU&amp;currpage=T\">https:\/\/legalref.judiciary.hk\/lrs\/common\/search\/search_result_detail_frame.jsp?DIS=162331&amp;QS=%2B%7C%28%282024%29%2CHKCFI%2C2113%29&amp;TP=JU&amp;currpage=T\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\t<div id=\"gap-885547031\" class=\"gap-element clearfix\" style=\"display:block; height:auto;\">\n\t\t\n<style>\n#gap-885547031 {\n  padding-top: 60px;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t<div class=\"ux-menu stack stack-col justify-start ux-menu--divider-solid\">\n\t\t\n\n\t<div class=\"ux-menu-link flex menu-item menu-button-link\">\n\t\t<a class=\"ux-menu-link__link flex\" href=\"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/news\/\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ux-menu-link__text\">\n\t\t\t\tBack to News\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<style>\n#section_1653513024 {\n  padding-top: 0px;\n  padding-bottom: 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DHCJ E Lee allowed an Appellant\u2019s appeal against conviction of indecent assault on the ground that the trial magistrate had entered into the arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1064"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1070,"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064\/revisions\/1070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simonsochambers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}