Videos lead to dropping of charges against Occupy protester

The day an Occupy protester was about to be tried on charges including assaulting police, prosecutors withdrew the charges after video news clips emerged that undermined their case.

Police had accused customer service officer Kwok Wai-hang, 33, of blocking vehicular access and assaulting police officers during an Occupy protest last year, Apple Daily reported Friday.

They said Kwok sat in a traffic lane on Nathan Road in Mong Kok on Oct. 17, blocking the way of a Mercedes-Benz, and that when police officers tried to remove him from the road, he threw out his elbows at them, injuring the face and mouth of an inspector.

Kwok’s father was quoted as saying that, with the help of netizens, he submitted several video news clips to the defense lawyer on Wednesday that helped prove his son’s innocence.

The father said there was no sign on the clips of the Mercedes-Benz mentioned by police.

What the clips showed was his son crossing the middle lane of Nathan Road.

He was soon surrounded by three police officers, who took him to the sidewalk.

The videos then showed Kwok being pressed to the ground by five or six police officers, his father said.

The Department of Justice said it had received new evidence from the police and decided to drop the charges, as it considered there wasn't a reasonable chance of conviction.

The defendant was awarded HK$500 in legal costs.

Kwok said he had never been worried about the case, as he had enough evidence to prove his innocence.

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