6 July 2010
A 24-year-old man was today (6 July) sentenced in the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Court for assaulting a Tobacco Control Inspector (TCI) and obstructing a public officer.
The man was sentenced to one-month imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, for assaulting a TCI and fined $1,000 for obstructing a public officer. He was also ordered to pay $500 in compensation for the TCI concerned.
The incident took place on May 19, 2010 outside an amusement games centre (AGC) called the Game Station on Kau Yuk Road, Yuen Long. The man was found smoking inside the AGC during a surprise check by a team of inspectors.
The man refused to cooperate and assaulted a TCI. He was subsequently arrested and charged with common assault and obstructing a public officer by the Police. He was also issued with a fixed penalty notice for smoking in a no-smoking area.
A spokesman for the Department of Health urged the public to observe the smoking ban requirements and cooperate with law enforcement officers.
"Intimidation of, or use of violence on, enforcement officers is a serious offence with serious legal consequences," he said.