Eric Tsang Cleared of Charges in Assault Case

After six months of repeated questioning, the Hong Kong Police Department has unconditionally released Eric Tsang (曾志偉) and cleared him of assault charges filed by restaurateur Kenny Wee (黄浩). In December 2012, both parties attended former Miss Hong Kong contestant Karmen Cheng’s (鄭嘉雯) wedding banquet. Prior to the celebration, Kenny had filed a police report stating he has video proof of five Hong Kong celebrities using recreational drugs at his restaurant in 2011. His actions immediately spurred backlash from many artists, particularly from Hilary Tsui (徐濠縈), who was allegedly involved in the drug scandal.

Eric, who is a close friend of Hilary’s husband, Eason Chan (陳奕迅), defended Hilary at Karmen’s wedding banquet, and supposedly slapped Kenny as a warning to not submit the video tape as evidence. Kenny immediately called the police after the incident and filed charges against Eric for criminal intimidation and physical assault. Even though many witnesses at the wedding denied the incident took place, the police ultimately arrested Eric on December 19 to assist with the investigation. Eric was released on $1,000 HKD bail and was required to report back to the police station repeatedly for questioning.

On June 5, Eric and his friend and lawyer, former TVB artist Money Lo (盧敏儀), arrived at the police station for a final time. Eric appeared to be in a good mood and waved cheerfully at the reporters. After 40 minutes, Eric left the station full of smiles, giving reporters a thumbs-up. Afterwards, he went to a shopping center in Kowloon Tong for lunch, and stopped briefly to address the media regarding his release.

Reporters asked Eric for his thoughts about the judgment, and whether he would celebrate. Eric seemed very confident about his case and did not expect any other result. “I feel normal. I thought everything would be okay. I believe in Hong Kong’s laws. There is judicial justice, and it did not disappoint.”. Eric added that he will not celebrate and will go on as normal. He shared that he had just a split moment of doubt, but decided to not dwell on it.

Eric was then asked about the sacrifices he had to make while battling this case. Eric is apologetic to family and friends and feels touched by their support. “[The biggest sacrifice] is my time, because I have to post bail and cause my friends to worry. I’ve received a lot of support from friends and family. I would really like to thank Money Lo. She has been there with me every step of the way, and gave me a lot of encouragement, telling me that everything will be okay. My family was definitely supportive. I have also received a lot of phone calls and messages from friends today. I am really grateful for everyone’s concerns.”

Eric added that he is touched by the support from acquaintances. “After what happened, many friends from the legal world called me with advice. Many friends whom I haven’t talked to in a long time, and people I don’t know really well were actually the ones who phoned me first. I realized that there are actually so many friends who care about me.”

Reporters then asked how Eric views this entire incident. Eric said peacefully, “Two words — letting go. I feel like I have let go of this. I have let it all go the moment I stepped out of the police station.”

Eric was asked if the incident affected his work. Eric replied no and once again thanked his friends for their support, which helped lift him up and allowed him to calmly face the ordeal. When asked about being finger printed and having a record on file, Eric takes a positive view and says that it was a valuable experience that may help in his acting career. “My first thought at the time was how strange it is! Why do I have to go through these procedures for such a small incident? I saw it as a learning experience, so I was able to go through it with a normal mindset. Now I know the proper police procedures when I film in the future.”

Source: Oriental Daily