Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Hong Kong’s High Court overturns guilty verdict in animal cruelty case

Hong Kong’s High Court overturns guilty verdict in animal cruelty case

Yuki Wong was sentenced to 80 hours of community service after she posted video of cat in washing machine.

A Hong Kong woman sentenced to community service for trapping her cat in a washing machine has won an appeal against her conviction on the grounds the trial magistrate misapplied the law in disregarding her exculpatory evidence.

But the High Court’s ruling on Tuesday may not mean insurance agent Yuki Wong Yee-ting is in the clear, with prosecutors highlighting the prospect of a retrial.

Wong received 80 hours of community service at Tuen Mun Court in February this year after a magistrate identified the 29-year-old appellant as the one who abused the cat. She was also told to pay HK$27,000 (US$3,454) in medical expenses to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.


Insurance agent Yuki Wong leaves Tuen Mun Court after being convicted of animal cruelty in February.

The insurance agent landed herself in court after posting a video on Instagram on February 7 last year, which showed her cat locked inside a spinning washing machine for 14 seconds at her flat in Tin Chak Estate in Tin Shui Wai.

The animal can be seen pressing its muzzle against the transparent lid of the top-loading machine, at which point the machine is opened and the animal immediately leaps out.

The woman laughed off the abuse with a caption claiming it was merely a “prank” played on the animal as it had defecated where it was not supposed to.

Wong told the lower court that a friend called Yan was responsible for the ill-treatment and had subsequently sent the video to her.

But she refused to disclose her friend’s full name and their relationship, adding she had moved overseas and was unable to assist in the investigation.

Deputy Magistrate Henry Fung Lim-wai found Wong’s account incredible, saying it was unreasonable for her to remain silent throughout the police investigation only to reveal the identity of the purported culprit during the trial.

But an appeal, Mr Justice Albert Wong Sung-hau expressed reservations about the basis for the magistrate’s dismissal of the appellant’s evidence.

The judge noted that while Fung did emphasise the prosecution needed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, he appeared to have erroneously placed the evidential burden on the defence in violation of common law principles.

The higher court highlighted the magistrate’s ruling that the appellant needed to demonstrate “sufficient and substantial evidence” to show her friend was likely to be the person who put the cat inside the washing machine.

The judge stressed that defendants were not required to prove their innocence.

“Upon careful consideration, I am unable to find the magistrate’s judgment in relation to the appellant’s credibility was secure,” the justice said.

The High Court found it unnecessary to rule on the other grounds of the appeal, noting that the case could be remitted to the magistrates’ court for a retrial.

Animal cruelty is punishable by up to three years behind bars.

The appellant is the elder sister of the 2019 Miss Hong Kong, Carmaney Wong Ka-man.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×