A 68-year-old mainland man was fined HK$2,000 and had his phone confiscated after admitting to filming inside a courtroom in Hong Kong's High Court. The defendant, a man surnamed Chan, pleaded guilty to violating the law prohibiting photography in court, claiming he was unaware of the no-photography signs outside the courtroom.
The incident occurred on Oct. 14, 2024, in Courtroom 7, 5th floor of the High Court, where a trial related to a border explosives case was in session. Chan was seated in the public gallery when he raised his phone to record a video and take five photos. His actions were immediately stopped by security personnel, and he was escorted out of the courtroom. Later that afternoon, he was arrested by police.
During mitigation, Chan explained that he arrived late and did not notice the no-photography signs at the entrance. He expressed his admiration for HK's professional judicial system and cited language barriers as the reason for following other members of the public into the courtroom without fully understanding the rules.
The case was re-arraigned at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (Dec. 10), where the court imposed the fine and ordered Chan's phone to be confiscated as part of the penalty.
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