A Hong Kong computer technician appeared in court Friday denying charges of stealing the sex photographs from the computer of pop star Edison Chen which were posted and circulated on the internet. Edison Chen's (陳冠希) naked sex photos of many young starlets were stolen when the star's computer went in for repair.
Sze Ho Chun (史可雋), 23, pleaded not guilty to charges of dishonest use of a computer. His bail was extended until a pre-trial review next month.
Sze Ho-chun, is the central focus of the Hong Kong police's investigation into the Edison leaked photo scandal. He entered a not guilty plea to charges of dishonest use of a computer after more serious charges were drop.
It is alleged Sze copied the images showing Chen and several young starlets semi-naked or in sexually provocative poses from Chen's computer while it was being repaired.
The images later appeared on the internet where they view by millions of people, sparking one of the biggest scandals in Hong Kong entertainment history and fuelling a debate on internet freedom.
A second man, clerk Kwok Chun-wai, 24, has already appeared in court on Tuesday accused of posting internet hyperlinks directing people to a website from which they could download the photos.
He is charged with publishing obscene material, some have speculated he might be the now legendary "Kira". But that is very doubtful since photos were leaked by Kira while he was in custody. He is accused of distributing the sex photos on the internet. No plea was taken. His bail was extended until next month by Magistrates in court.
Actor and pop star Chen, 27, last month apologized to the women involved, who included Twins singer Gillian Chung and other so-called Canto-pop starlets, and announced he was giving up his show business career.
Female celebrities including Bobo Chan (陳文媛), Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐) and Cecilia Cheung (張栢芝) – started surfacing on the web, January 27, sparking Hong Kong entertainment's biggest scandal in memory. In a press conference, February 21, Edison apologized to the women implicated and announced that he would be suspending his showbiz career indefinitely.
The scandal ignited heated debate on many issues from privacy rights to police cronyism in Hong Kong society.
