15 Nov 2019
HKSAR v. CHAU YUI MING (周銳銘)
- Citation
- [2019] HKCFA 39
- Court
- Court of Final Appeal
- Case number
- FACC2/2019
A judge must direct a jury on obvious alternative verdicts supported by the evidence, but is not obliged to explore speculative alternatives or to order splitting of an indictment where those alternatives do not arise from the way the case was presented; on these facts the defence ran an all‑or‑nothing case, there was no obvious evidential basis to split the count or treat ketamine as mere possession, the judge gave a favourable direction on the single‑count basis, and therefore there was no duty to amend the indictment and no substantial and grave injustice — appeal dismissed.