2012年5月6日星期日

大律師非禮?

大狀涉非禮客戶胞姊
毆女友同志女警上訴 爆出醜聞


【明報專訊】同志女警與同居女友因感情問題起爭執,被控虐打女友並罪成。女警早前到高院上訴,投訴當時代表她的大律師鄭紀天嚴重失職,女警的胞姊更出庭大爆鄭與她在卡拉OK一邊唱歌一邊談論案情,首次見面當晚更涉嫌在的士非禮她,法官昨決定傳召鄭紀天下周一出庭接受盤問。
 「出於禮貌共乘的士」 大狀否認非禮

 鄭紀天昨回應記者的查詢時承認,與上訴人李淑妍的胞姊(下稱李)第一次見面確是在卡拉OK,但他解釋當日他正跟朋友在卡拉OK消遣,是律師樓的譚姓文員李到卡拉OK找他,鄭強調事前不知道對方會出現,當日李在卡拉OK房一直坐,後來出於禮貌,他乘的士送李到大埔住所,強調沒有非禮李,否則李應已即時報警。

 上訴昨日在高院進行,上訴人女警員李淑妍的胞姊早前在庭上供稱,為了替胞妹處理官司,曾跟律師樓譚姓文員打邊爐,又稱首次跟鄭見面是去卡拉OK,當時鄭只顧唱歌,當她用手機向鄭展示胞妹在案發當日的傷勢照片時,鄭只是回應「哦…哦……」,直至深夜時分,鄭乘的士送她返家,途上李因擔心胞妹而哭起來,鄭見狀著她倚著其肩膊,隨後伸手捉她的手,放在自己的下體位置,李即時縮手,並向鄭稱「我想返屋企」。

 李又透露,當到達寓所樓下,兩人曾傾談胞妹的案件及案情,鄭離開前欲吻李,李即時拒絕。

 首次見面 卡拉OK房談案情

 代表上訴人的大律師表示,鄭在審訊當天準備不足,只帶4張紙上庭,連案件的全紀錄也沒有;另一方面,鄭被指沒有依李的指示處理案件,沒有把對上訴人有利的證供及可質疑案中證人可信性的證供呈堂,指鄭與事務律師都嚴重失職,令李得不到公平審訊,要求推翻裁決。

    有鑑於上訴一方對鄭及當時處理案件的律師樓文員提出嚴重指控,法官決定傳召鄭及該文員出庭,接受上訴一方盤問,案件押後至下周一繼續。

 2008年加入警隊的上訴人李淑妍,被指於前年7月至11月期間,因感情問題與同居女友爭執,上訴人被指先後頸及掌摑女友,又持生果刀恐嚇「一齊死」,結果去年年中被裁定普通襲擊及刑恐罪成,被判監28日,但由於上訴人已被還押31天,故當日獲當庭釋放。大律師鄭紀天於2005年開始在香港執業。

 【案件編號﹕HCMA451/11】 
(5/5/2012 明報)
標少身在遠方,昨天看了這則新聞,也沒有時間評論。鄭紀天(Sky Cheng)出道的時候,標少已移民南洲,所以不知他是何許人。‧我不能評論他被指非禮的指控,但他否認非禮,並指出若有這樣做,受害人應已即時報警。遭到非禮的人,有很多理由導致不向警方報案,沒有即時報案,並不等如沒有發生非禮。從報導看,鄭大狀的講法也不見得具說服力。

代表上訴人的黃達華大律師(Richard Wong)指責鄭紀天嚴重失職(flagrantly incompetent),令上訴人得不到公平審訊,要求推翻裁決。要持這理由成功推翻定罪,上訴人有舉證責任,使法官接納確因律師嚴重失職而致司法不公。(To succeed on this ground, the appellant has to show a miscarriage of justice had occurred because of flagrantly incompetent advocacy. The burden of satisfying the court is on the appellant.)聽審上訴的暫委法官彭寶琴只需從原審紀錄判斷鄭紀天有沒有嚴重失職,已經足夠,而無需考慮大律師曾否非禮上訴人的姊姊。就算確曾非禮,跟抗辯時有沒有嚴重失職,也扯不上關係。至於辯方律師帶多少張紙上庭,並不是關鍵所在,審閱審案的紀錄謄本,對於律師的準備工夫和能力,便一目了然。

7 則留言:

  1. http://news.sina.com.hk/news/2/1/1/2656517/1.html

    I am not sure if the lawyer was incompetent or not, but I think it's not appropriate for lawyer to make joke with his ex-client.

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  2. Anonymous,

    From the news report so far, I could not see the real issue of advocay competence being canvassed. Conduct of the counsel is a matter for the HK Bar to look into.

    Bill

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    1. Did the Bar Council investigate this matter (Barrister Sky Cheng being accused of sexually assaulting a lady in a taxi by putting her hand on his penis) in the end?

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    2. I am not too sure about the progress of the disciplinary proceeding. I did not hear anything.

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  3. Paragraph 6 of the Bar Code provides that: - "It is the duty of every barrister... (d)... to be competent in all his professional activities". If Counsel Mr Sky Cheng was "flagrantly incompetent" (and Deputy High Court Judge Anthea Pang had ruled that he was), then that by itself should mean that Sky Cheng should be referred to the Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal for punishment?

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    1. Flagrantly incompetence itself does not render disciplinary proceeding against the counsel. It is the impropriety aspect should be pursued rather.

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    2. Really? I thought it could be more complicated that that, and Lawyer Sky Cheng's flagrant incompetence, once established, could by itself render him liable to be penalized by the Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal: http://www.hklii.hk/eng/hk/cases/hkcfi/2015/300.html

      17. As can be seen from this cursory examination of the leading judgments in Chong Ching Yuen, the “flagrant incompetence” cases focus on whether counsel’s incompetence has resulted in the defendant not receiving a fair trial which may or may not have constituted misconduct by counsel. On the other hand, there may be cases where counsel has misconducted himself and the defendant has nevertheless received a fair trial. Whilst guidance may be provided by the principles and comments in “flagrant incompetence” cases, they must be appropriately applied in the context of disciplinary proceedings against a counsel for professional misconduct and the circumstances of the case under scrutiny.

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