2015年8月4日星期二

罵陳碧橋能否立案告藐視法庭罪

標少:

有自稱律師在網台聲稱:Common law 入面,藐視法庭罪不保護下級法院,裁判署是由 section 99 保護。希望標少解說一下,以正視聽。

大香港早晨
第376集:反黑警行動vs戴胸圍行動/正義律師專訪,詳解藐視法庭定義/洪瑞珍中毒事件/毓民組織本土大聯盟?

電話訪問大約在 3 分鐘開始
http://sc3.passiontimes.hk/programme/85/376/morning20150803b_640.mp4 


這是昨晚在狗官之四一文收到的留言。真係好帶歇,標少抱恙,還要苦思半夜這我根本不懂的題目。先講結論,網台法律意見錯誤。評論前先講下這網台節目電話訪問有關「詳解藐視法庭定義」內容,有位自稱律師的男士,接受主持人訪問,講解普通法(common law)中的藐視法庭罪,區域法院或以下的法院,法官無權懲處在法庭以外的藐視行為,他覺得有人在裁判法院外舉牌辱罵法官,根據普通法,裁判官無權處理。他沒有講這看法的出處,我相信他是看了法律權威典籍Archbold Hong Kong第30-26段而得出的結論(好抱歉我的是2007年版)。我貼出其中兩段:

The Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal and Court of Final Appeal are superior courts of record and have an inherent jurisdiction at common law to punish contempt both in face of the court and committed outside court
......

The District Court, Magistrate's Court, Coroner's Court, Lands Tribunal, Labour Tribunal and Small Claims Tribunal are courts of record and as such have an inherent power at common law to punish for contempts committed in the face of the court, but no common law power to punish for other contempts.

這位律師講來講去就是這些話。他也強調裁判官只能依頼《裁判官條例》第99條來懲處在席前侮罵的人,所以在屯門法院門外舉牌的仁兄就無得告了。當真?先看第99條:

章:227 PDF標題:《裁判官條例》憲報編號:21 of 1999
條:99條文標題:判處向裁判官使用侮辱性言語的人或判處使用侮辱性言語以涉及裁判官的人的權力版本日期:11/06/1999

當裁判官在執行任何裁判官職責時,如任何人向裁判官,或在裁判官席前作出任何侮辱性的行為,或使用任何威脅或侮辱性的詞句,或如有人作出涉及裁判官的侮辱性行為或使用涉及裁判官的侮辱性詞句,則裁判官可循簡易程序判處罪犯3罰款監禁6個月。

很明顯要在裁判官席前兜口兜面罵,裁判官才能夠即時以簡易程序(summarily)(即不用拘捕落案檢控)懲處。可是這是成文法(statue)訂立的權力,而非普通法的。Archbold的講法並無排除在法庭以外詆毁誹謗式(scandlize)的辱罵裁判官,不能用普通法制裁,它只是講裁判官無權對在法庭以外做出這種行為的人懲處。以屯門法院外舉狗官牌的人為例,裁判官不能叫警察拉他入去判刑。

那麽,可以怎辦?

律政司如果覺得應該對此人採取行動,可以把他交付(commit)到高等法院處以藐視罪。正如上面引述Archbold講法,高院有權 'to punish contempt both in face of the court and committed outside court'。即是説高院可以行使普通法權力去處理發生在下級法院的藐視法庭行為。標少講你當然不信,律師打去電台稱為正義律師,不過條友匿名喎,點知佢乜水?我雖然亂噏,但我有案例喎,睇下呢單:HCMP840/2010,發生在區域法院的藐視法庭案交付高院處理。當時代表律政司作出申請的外判資深大律師Gerald McCoy, 主動向高院法官Alan Wright提出司法權力的問題,我貼出其中兩段與本討論相關的判詞,
Preliminary issues
31. In the course of his submissions on behalf of the applicant, Mr. McCoy SC raised several matters, largely in anticipation of them being raised by the respondents. It is convenient to deal with them, briefly, at this stage.

32. First, whilst the District Court has, by virtue of s. 20 of the District Court Ordinance, Cap 336, statutory power to deal with contempt proceedings of a defined nature, I am satisfied that this court has jurisdiction to entertain these proceedings by virtue of its inherent supervisory powers over proceedings before inferior courts.

看最後那句,雖然只講‘before’ inferior court,即在下級法庭裏面發生的藐視,當然也包括在法庭外發生的藐視,因高院有權 'to punish contempt both in face of the court and committed outside court',所以這inherent supervisory powers包括發生在下級法庭外的藐視行為。

最後,我的結論是,在區域法院或以下等級的法院發生的藐視法庭案,根據普通法,律政司可交付高院處理。匿名律師在網台講法不正確,對Archbold斷章取義,沒有參閱案例,誤導市民。坦白講,這是我不懂的東西,講錯了請各方law友指正。




25 則留言:

  1. But what about other tribunals? Eg the Registration of Persons Tribunal, or the Copyright Tribunal, or the Administrative Appeal Board? Does the common law offence of scandalizing the court apply to them?

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    1. Such tribunals are not "courts" presided by judges or magistrates. Scandalizing does not include them. They are not courts in the same sense.

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    2. But what's the definition of 'courts' for this purpose? Which authority says it includes magistrates' courts? I am not arguing for any particular position. I genuinely want to know the answer.

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  2. 放完了一段暑假,叉叉電,又來發下發噏風. 與朋友傾談,所謂雨傘之後,已無理性討論可以存在.以胸襲警是否合理?bill少話頭,我都係睇埋上訴再算.

    現想說一節花邊:話說網台遊魂指控陳官的其一條罪證,是他任主席的"有限公司",是由梁唐青儀做贊助人,所以他早就是梁粉,甚至引申到梁營早已安插自己人當法官,法治已死,狗官當道.............

    真係唔識既就嚇死,識既就笑死."有限公司"云云,其實是一間有五十多年既NGO機構,只是近年教育/社福兩行"商業化",學校就成立法團,社福機構就變成"有限公司". 而此間"有限公司"的贊助人曾經是曾鮑笑薇,再對上是董趙洪娉,再上一任叫林穎彤..........眼利的看官們去到呢度,當然明白所謂贊助人,其實就是督爺/特首太座,就好似督爺/特首係各大學的校監,督太就係好多NGO機構的贊助人. 而上面提及的朋友,正正任職該"有限公司",還擔心了好幾天會否有本土戰士來找主席晦氣. 以此作為"三權合作"的証據,就係此間網台遊魂的水平.

    當傳言代替常識(不敢說知識了),謾罵代替討論,這個城市(的人)的理性亦隨之而去.

    八叔公字




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    1. 在以胸襲警一文,有人留言貼了該評論出來。我看了幾乎嗆死。

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    2. 耐無上來,原來是黃.......提佢名都益左佢。

      八叔公字

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    3. 我唔知佢係乜水,看了評論只知是盲毛。

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    4. 八叔公兄, 講的人是古德明和黃世澤, 你懂的.

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  3. 閱讀標少討論的資料,有點不同意見。

    「The District Court, Magistrate's Court, Coroner's Court, Lands Tribunal, Labour Tribunal and Small Claims Tribunal are courts of record and as such have an inherent power at common law to punish for contempts committed in the face of the court, but no common law power to punish for other contempts.」。字面意思似乎頗清晰,下級法院只有權判罰「in the face of the court」個案,冇權判罰「other contempts」個案。

    HCMP840/2010 只顯示高院可運用「inherent supervisory powers」,審理地院的「in the face of the court」個案,並冇涉及「outside court」個案。

    高院有 common law 權力審理本身的「outside court」個案,並不表示高院基於「inherent supervisory powers」,可將這 common law 權力,延伸到審理地院的「outside court」個案。

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    1. I agreed also.
      As u said in yr post "HCMP840/2010,發生在區域法院"
      "which is within the precincts of or in the face of the District Court" as per the judgment
      http://mediation.judiciary.gov.hk/lrs/common/ju/ju_frame.jsp?DIS=73525

      SL



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  4. bill siu不妨分享見解
    https://thestandnews.com/politics/%E6%9C%80%E5%BE%8C%E9%98%B2%E7%B7%9A-1-%E5%B0%88%E8%A8%AA%E9%80%80%E4%BC%91%E6%B3%95%E5%AE%98%E7%8E%8B%E5%BC%8F%E8%8B%B1-%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E5%BD%B1%E9%9F%BF%E6%97%A5%E5%A2%9E-%E5%8F%B8%E6%B3%95%E7%8D%A8%E7%AB%8B%E9%9A%A8%E6%99%82%E5%B4%A9%E5%A3%9E/

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    1. 一般比人斬開一截截的"專訪"

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    2. 篇文章似係記者自己專訪自己多啲。

      ho

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    3. 我看了上下兩篇,有些感想。不過,這些文章太多記者本人加插的結論,有那些話是王式英實際講法,太含糊不清。我未必會寫評論。

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  5. BTW 陳碧橋是香港學生輔助會有限公司老闆。公司贊助人是唐青儀。唐青儀夫婿是梁振英。Does it ring a bell.
    http://www.hksas.org.hk/b5_committee.html

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    1. 這個是註冊的NGO, 而陳是執行委員會主席而已.

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    2. 無野下化?我剛係樓上講完..............

      此間"有限公司"的贊助人曾經是曾鮑笑薇,再對上是董趙洪娉,再上一任叫林穎彤..........

      果然係當傳言代替常識.

      八叔公字

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    3. 林穎彤,Bella。後生女與學生啱傾啲。

      https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%9E%97%E7%A9%8E%E5%BD%A4

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    4. 哈哈,我都有想過d本土戰士知唔知邊個係"林穎彤"

      "下!搵大面Bella做贊助人?呢間公司好打有限啦" XDD

      八叔公字

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    5. 我要撞爆頭了.....擇自維基


      彭定康與太太林穎彤(Lavender Thornton Patten)在1971年結婚及育有3女:

      長女彭麗思(Laura Patten,1973年—)
      次女彭潔思(Kathy Patten,1974年—)
      三女彭雅思(1980年—),職業為演員,曾經在印度寶萊塢發展,在2006年參演了倫敦西區劇院的《哈姆雷特》。
      此外,彭定康擁有兩隻諾福克㹴犬,分別名喚威士忌和蘇打。

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    6. 八叔公兄, 他們不是很喜歡老彭嗎? 為何他們不知道的????

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    7. "此外,彭定康擁有兩隻諾福克㹴犬,分別名喚威士忌和蘇打。" - and, Hong Kong so called democrats (extract from Selfpedia)

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    8. Oh sorry, need to clarify - "Hong Kong So Called Democrats" is not the name of a dog. My apology to the canines, I did not mean to insult you.

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  6. I note there is a proviso in the statement of Wright J.... "by virtue of its inherent supervisory powers OVER PROCEEDINGS before inferior courts."

    I agree that in the present case, the male can be committed under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court for contempt. However, if he did the same acts outside the Tuen Mun magistracy after the sentencing, I opine he cannot be committed for contempt for his acts done outside the court under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court, as there is no longer any proceeding at the inferior court (the proceeding had been completed after sentencing, even if the defendant appeals, the case will become a HCMA and no longer a TMCC").

    Also, another quetion is what is mean by the word "proceedings"? Does this word mean specific proceeding or general proceeding? The question I have in mind if somebody standing outside a magistracy and holding a display saying "all magistrates of this court are bixxxxx". Can he be committed for contempt by the High Court under its inherent jurisdiction? Obviously, there are proceedings going on inside the court building but if the word "proceedings" only mean particular proceedings that the inherent power of the High Court may not be able to published him, as unlike the present case, no particular proceedings are being referred to. DF

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