香港特別行政區 訴 呂景安

香港特別行政區 訴 呂景安

The trial judge's rejection of the accused's self‑use account was reasonable given materially inconsistent accounts about the purchase, the implausibility of the asserted purchase price relative to market value, the lack of supporting evidence for the accused's asserted consumption method, and the objective facts...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2020] HKCA 573
Parties
Applicant: LUI King on (呂景安); Respondent: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (香港特別行政區)
Court
Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction
Hong Kong
Judgment Date
14 July 2020
Case Number
CACC279/2019
Procedural Posture
Criminal Appeal Against Conviction (leave to Appeal Application) / Court of Appeal Hearing on Application for Leave to Appeal Against Conviction; Application Dismissed
Outcome
Application for leave to appeal against conviction dismissed; conviction for trafficking upheld
Legal Topics
Possession With Intent to Supply, Trafficking of Dangerous Drugs, Credibility and Weight of Evidence, Inferences From Packaging and Quantity
Source Language
ch
Criminal Law Drugs Offences Evidence Appeal Possession With Intent to Supply Trafficking of Dangerous Drugs Credibility and Weight of Evidence Inferences From Packaging and Quantity

Source-derived case record

Summary, issues, holding and outcome

More case intelligence is available

Unlock the full research layer for this judgment.

Downloadable case file Legal principles 4 Authorities cited 2 Party arguments 2 Amounts and remedies 5
Sign in to unlock

Parties

LUI King on (呂景安)

Applicant

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (香港特別行政區)

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Criminal Appeal Against Conviction (leave to Appeal Application) / Court of Appeal Hearing on Application for Leave to Appeal Against Conviction; Application Dismissed

  1. 1 Whether prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that possession was for the purpose of trafficking
  2. 2 Whether the trial judge erred in rejecting accused's account that the drugs were for personal use
  3. 3 Whether omissions or manner of police recording undermined the reliability of police evidence

Ratio Decidendi

The trial judge's rejection of the accused's self‑use account was reasonable given materially inconsistent accounts about the purchase, the implausibility of the asserted purchase price relative to market value, the lack of supporting evidence for the accused's asserted consumption method, and the objective facts that the accused carried a substantial quantity of cocaine divided into multiple small packets while travelling to a friend's flat; those facts made the only irresistible inference that the drugs were possessed for trafficking, so the conviction was safe and the leave application was dismissed.

Court Disposition

Application for leave to appeal against conviction dismissed; conviction for trafficking upheld

Orders

  • Application for leave to appeal dismissed
  • Conviction for trafficking of dangerous drugs upheld and original sentence of 4 years 6 months to remain