'Jimmy Lai Has Case To Answer In Intimidation Case'

West Kowloon Magistrates' Court has ruled that Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai has a case to answer over allegations that he intimidated an Oriental Daily reporter during the June 4 candlelight vigil in Victoria Park three years ago.

The reporter, identified as X, had earlier told the court that he followed and filmed Lai for work from a distance that day.

On the third day of the hearing, prosecution witness Y – a colleague of X's – said he had seen Lai apparently swear at X angrily in Victoria Park, but said he couldn’t remember exactly what he said.

During cross examination, Y said Oriental Daily had been sending reporters to follow Lai frequently.

In video footage presented to the court, Lai told police officers in 2018 under police caution that he had often been followed by Oriental Daily reporters, but didn’t interfere with their work.

But he told officers that X had followed him in the past five years, and had started taking an aggressive approach towards him recently like taking pictures of him “in his face” to provoke him.

Accompanied by veteran democrat and his lawyer Albert Ho at the time, Lai admitted to officers that he had said “I would definitely find someone to mess you up” to X when he saw him in Victoria Park.

Lai told officers that he only blurted out those words without thinking exactly how he would follow up on the matter, but said taking legal action or calling the police could have been his options.

He said that he would definitely not ask triad members to handle the matter, adding that he had never messed with others.

Magistrate May Chung decided that Lai has a case to answer and adjourned the hearing to Friday, by which time both sides are expected to make their closing submissions.

Lai will not give evidence personally or call other witnesses, and he has denied one count of criminal intimidation.