R. v. Lam Siu Wan
Read the full judgment text of CACC 241/1996 on BabelCite. This Court of Appeal judgment was delivered on 18 September 1996.
1. This applicant faced two counts, one of landing counterfeit coins contrary to s.105(a) of the Crimes Ordinance, Cap.200, and another of landing in Hong Kong without permission contrary to s.38(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap.115. It was particularized in the first count that he, on 17th October 1995, at Shaukeiwan pier in Hong Kong landed counterfeits of protected coins, namely 12,263 Hong Kong $10 coins and 289 Hong Kong $5 coins. At the same time and place he, being a person with no
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CACC000241/1996 IN THE COURT OF APPEAL 1996, No.241
------------------------------- Coram: Hon. Power, Ag. C.J., Liu and Mayo, JJ.A. Date of Hearing: 18 September 1996 Date of Judgment: 18 September 1996 ---------------------- J U D G M E N T ---------------------- Power, Ag. C.J. (giving the judgment of the Court): 1. This applicant faced two counts, one of landing counterfeit coins contrary to s.105(a) of the Crimes Ordinance, Cap.200, and another of landing in Hong Kong without permission contrary to s.38(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap.115. It was particularized in the first count that he, on 17th October 1995, at Shaukeiwan pier in Hong Kong landed counterfeits of protected coins, namely 12,263 Hong Kong $10 coins and 289 Hong Kong $5 coins. At the same time and place he, being a person with no right of abode, without permission, landed in Hong Kong. He pleaded guilty in the District Court to both charges and was sentenced by Judge Chua to three years and three months on the first and 15 months on the second and the sentences were ordered to be concurrent. He now appeals against those sentences saying that they were too heavy given that he had no previous convictions in Hong Kong, that this was his first attempt to enter Hong Kong illegally, that he is the sole breadwinner of his family and that he was only acting as a courier to bring in the coins. He also complains that the judge did not order the prison terms to run concurrently. 2. We can understand that he has found some difficulty following the approach to sentencing of the trial judge. We will return later to that matter. 3. The trial judge when sentencing said:
4. This unusual approach whereby the judge increased the sentence on the first charge from two years and four months, which she considered proper, to three years and three months in order to comply with the totality principle is not one that commends itself to us. It would have been more appropriate to have ordered that the applicant serve 28 months on the first count and fifteen months on the second count with four months of the second count to be served concurrently with the 28 months on the first count. Had that been done she would have achieved the sentence of 39 months which she thought was proper. 5. The question for this court is whether the judge was right in her view that three years and three months was a proper totality for the two offences. This applicant came to Hong Kong carrying a very substantial quantity of counterfeit coins and must have known that if those coins went onto the market the people and the economy of Hong Kong would suffer. The family matters which he now puts before us in mitigation are considerations which he should have had in mind before undertaking this criminal enterprise. Illegal entrants who, in one way or another, put the people of Hong Kong at risk of financial loss can receive little sympathy from the courts. The sentences were perfectly proper ones. Nothing has been suggested that would allow us to interfere with them. 6. The application is therefore refused.
Representation: Mr. D.G. Saw, S.A.C.P. & Miss Denise Chan, C.C. (Crown Prosecutor) for the Respondent. Applicant in person. |