Hong Kong Case Law: Decisions & Judgments | LexChat

Hong Kong Case Law

Humanitarian grounds for sentence mitigation
  • 20 Mar 1997

    R. v. LAU LAI

    Citation
    R. v. LAU LAI
    Court
    Court of First Instance
    Case number
    HCMA3/1997

    Pregnancy of the appellant, being in an advanced stage and a first pregnancy such that childbirth would occur in prison without family support, constituted exceptional humanitarian circumstances permitting departure from the sentencing guidelines and reduction of the 12-month sentence to permit immediate release and repatriation; extension of time to appeal was warranted on that basis and reduction still preserved deterrence given time already served and remissions.