Court Pics To Enhance Transparency, Says Defendant

A woman accused of taking photographs during a High Court hearing last week has told her contempt of court trial she can't remember doing so. But Tang Lin-ling said if she did take the pictures, it would have been to help let people know how the judicial systems works.

Tang, who's representing herself in the case, told the court she's a vice president of the China Railway Construction Corporation and she received legal qualifications on the mainland last year.

She said she went to a trial relating to the 2014 Occupy protests on May 23 because she wanted to find out more about Hong Kong's judicial system.

She said she had sat in on major trials in Beijing where people were allowed to take photos, under what she said was the mainland's "sunshine policy on the administration of justice".

But when cross examined by the prosecution, she conceded that photography is indeed banned in mainland courtrooms, just like in Hong Kong.

Asked whether she took photos of the Occupy trial, she said she couldn't remember.

But she said if she did, it would have been to enhance transparency of the trial and to help the Hong Kong public understand how the SAR's judicial system functions.

She added that she didn't know whether the "no photography" signs inside the courtroom had any legal effect.

Witnesses had testified that they saw Tang taking photographs and using her WeChat messenger during last week's court hearing.

But she told the court her phone was on "flight mode" and maybe somebody had hacked into it and was operating it remotely.

In her final submission, she said the case has put tremendous pressure on her personal life because of the media's "twisted and negative reporting" and she's disappointed that Hong Kong lacks legal professionals who could help her.

Judge Andrew Chan adjourned the case until June 4 and Tang was taken back into custody.