A Hong Kong magazine editor was given a suspended jail term for publishing a naked photograph of actress Carina Lau (劉嘉玲) that was taken when she was abducted by gangsters, it was reported yesterday.
At a hearing on Wednesday, former chief editor of Eastweek magazine Mong Hong-ming (蒙漢明) received a six-month sentence, suspended for two years, for publishing obscene material, the Hong Kong Standard reported.
The sentence means Mong will not go to jail unless he re-offends within the next two years.
The picture of Lau, published in Eastweek magazine in 2002, was taken in 1990 when the actress was kidnapped by gangsters, stripped and forced to pose for photographs.
Publication of the topless photo of a blindfolded and distressed Lau on the magazine’s cover, owned at the time by businessman Albert Yeung (楊受成), caused a huge public outcry.
Actors, including action star Jackie Chan (成龍), staged public protests and the magazine was forced to halt publication for a year.
In August, the magazine’s current owner — the New Media Group, admitted to distributing obscene articles and was fined HK$20,000 (US$2,560).
At the hearing, Eastern Court magistrate Gary Tallentire said he had taken into account the fact that Mong had a clear record and was unlikely to repeat the offense.
Actress Lau, now 43, later said the picture was taken against her will when she was bundled into a car and blindfolded by the gangsters while she was a young starlet.
In a recent interview, Lau said the gangsters targeted her because she refused a film role offered to her by their boss.
Hong Kong’s film industry is notorious for its links with the city’s gangs.
Lau has starred in dozens of box office hits in Hong Kong, including the Infernal Affairs series of films.
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