Now TV driver 'beaten in police station stairwell'

Now TV driver 'beaten in police station stairwell'

A Now TV driver who was arrested while working in the early hours of Monday morning says several officers took him to a staircase in Mong Kok Station where they pushed him up against a wall and beat him around the head, legs and arms with batons.



The driver, who was being treated in Kwong Wah Hospital, said on Monday afternoon that his jaw has been fractured and he has several other noticeable injuries, including to his forehead and hands.



He said a lot of the injuries came during the beating inside the station, although before his arrest he was also shot in the back of the head by what was believed to have been a beanbag round.



Now TV condemned what it described as police brutality.



The station's news department had earlier reported that the driver had been detained for two hours before police called an ambulance to take him to hospital.



After being shot as he walked to his car near Mong Kok Police Station, he had been subdued by riot officers, despite wearing a press vest with Now TV's logo on it and telling them that he worked for the broadcaster.



Another member of the press was also said to have confirmed to the police that the man worked for the TV station.



The Hong Kong Journalists Association issued a statement condemning the police's treatment of the Now TV driver and calling for a thorough investigation.



The association said officers violated humanitarian rules by not allowing the man to get prompt treatment after he was shot with a projectile.