Hong Kong policeman denies misconduct over blood sample
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A District Court case has centred on how a female suspect’s blood sample was handled after a drink-driving investigation in May 2024. Prosecutors allege police constable Ching Long kept the sample at home, failed to send it to the Government Laboratory, and later misled supervisors while privately contacting the woman involved. The defence says Ching was a junior officer under heavy workload pressure in Tai Po Police Station, and that colleagues informally told him to set the sample aside first. The court also heard allegations of lax evidence-handling culture inside the station, which supervisors denied.
Key Points
- Ching Long, 25, a police constable, denied misconduct in public office and two counts of intending to pervert the course of justice over conduct between May 29 and July 17, 2024.
- The case arose after woman X was arrested in Sheung Shui over a dispute and suspected drink-driving; her blood was drawn at North District Hospital and handed to Ching in a tamper-evident evidence bag.
- Prosecutors said Ching admitted in a WhatsApp exchange on May 30 that the blood sample was in his home refrigerator, and Inspector Lai Koon-man told him to send it to the laboratory.
- The prosecution also said Ching brought X to his home on June 3, took six solo photos including four nude images, and later used a police phone to contact her.
- Defence questioning cited WhatsApp and phone exchanges suggesting colleagues said the sample was not urgent, could be put aside temporarily, and should not be stored in the team refrigerator.
Why It Matters
The case raises questions about evidence handling, supervision and record-keeping inside a criminal investigation unit, especially when a junior officer was said to be managing 120 to 160 old and new cases. It also matters because prosecutors say the alleged concealment of a blood sample could affect a drink-driving prosecution and public confidence in Hong Kong’s criminal justice system.