「考慮因素
這是一宗毆打執法人員的罪行;被告明知對方是警員,在其執法之時施以暴力,這種行為,不但挑釁執法警員的權威,最嚴重的,是其對法律的衊視。本席認為所判的刑令,得以向社會大眾顯示此等行為極嚴重,藉此收到阻嚇之效。上訴庭亦多次指出,此等控罪,應以立時監禁。
此等案件的量刑原則可見於上訴庭馬桂珍 (AAK11/2007) 的判詞:
“We agree that any assault upon a public officer in the execution of that officer’s duty is a matter to be regarded by the courts as serious. The general sentencing policy in relation to such an offence must be one that has deterrence as its uppermost aim. An assault by a litigant upon a legal officer carrying out his or her duties in relation to the litigation carries its own aggravating characteristic, namely, the possibility or prospect of an indirect adverse effect upon the free administration of justice; and this will be so whether the assault is carried out with a view to dissuading that officer from carrying out his or her function or as an act of vengeance for that officer having done so. In the normal course, such conduct will call for the imposition of an immediate custodial term.”
此等控罪的量刑,皆以個別案件事實為基礎,所以並無清楚的量刑指引。但從下列的案例,可以得到大約的指標:
於HKSAR v Yao Chi Yuen HCMA 404/2000 (未經彙編) 一案中,被告就審訊後裁定「襲擊警務人員」控罪名成立。案情顯示被告人向執行職務的交通警員斥駡並揮拳打了警員下唇一下,導致輕微擦傷。法庭認為八個星期監禁是正確的。
於周明HCMA 678/2005 (未經彙編) 一案中,被告人用手肘撞向警員手臂。上訴法庭認為經審訊之後所判的兩個月監禁是恰當的。
於Ogawa Shuichi HCMA 174/99一案中,上訴人在酒精影響下箍著到埸調查的女警的頸部,令其頸部受傷。上訴庭認為上訴人的行動屬於 “Minor, short lived and not repeated and from the facts seems to have been an act of stupidity rather than malice”,在其認罪、真心悔過、亦考慮到他從未干犯任何刑事罪行及其個情形之後,下令以社會服務令替代原審法官所判的二十一天監禁。
考慮過上述案例之後,本席認為以本案的案情,應處予三個月監禁。
被告的個人背景
被告是一個四十歲的成年人,自89 年以來,曾多次犯案,亦曾多次被判監禁。其背景中,並無任何可令本席特別酎情減刑的因素。經考慮過本案案情及被告代表律師的陳情之後,本席認為唯一的求情理由,是被告認罪,所以將三個月監禁下調至兩個月,即時執行。
緩刑令
被告於2011 年6 月1 日曾就一項“沒有第三者保險之下駕駛”控罪裁判入獄兩個月,緩刑二十四個月。雖然他在2012 年7 月23 日因其他控罪而判入獄,當時法庭並無下令執行緩刑。被告是次再犯法,亦再次破壞了緩刑令,本席並無任何理由不予執行。由於兩案性質不同,本席亦有考慮總體刑期之後,下令將有關緩刑與現刑分期執行。是故被告之總刑期,合為四個月監禁。」