HONG KONG: A customs officer has uploaded photo and videos taken inside the Eastern Law Courts Building to his public Facebook profile, in a possible breach of laws. Paul Fong Fu-pong appears to have taken two of the photographs – one a “selfie” and another of a barrister – inside the courtroom. He has not removed them despite warnings from friends that he may get in trouble for them.
Under the Summary Offences Ordinance, it is an offence to take photographs inside any courthouse. Offenders are liable to a fine of HK$250. Barrister Chris Ng of the Progressive Lawyers Group told HKFP that the act may also constitute contempt of court. Convictions in Hong Kong are rare as judges or magistrates tend to deliver initial warnings. “However, the judge is entitled to convict the person in question for contempt,” said Ng. “It did happen in the United Kingdom, where a teenager was jailed for two months for taking a photograph of a courtroom from the public gallery.”
