Hong Kong Case Law: Decisions & Judgments | LexChat

Hong Kong Case Law

Mitigation for cultural/linguistic difference
  • 5 Nov 2001

    HKSAR v. CHAN TAT WAH

    Citation
    HKSAR v. CHAN TAT WAH
    Court
    Court of Appeal
    Case number
    CACC457/2001

    The conviction for burglary was supported by admissible circumstantial evidence and therefore stands; the trial judge erred in principle in granting a blanket two-month reduction for defendants on account of being from the Mainland or ‘foreignness’; foreignness is only one factor in mitigation and Mainland Chinese are not to be treated as foreigners entitled to automatic discounts; the Secretary for Justice's review is granted and the two-month reductions are set aside resulting in adjusted sentences: Tse Ki Wu 4 years, Ng Kit 3 years 2 months, Chan Tat Wah 3 years.