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| Pioquinto being tackled by police before his arrest during the Mong Kok protest on Aug 3 |
By Vir B. Lumicao
Prosecutors say more charges may be filed against a Filipino
performer at Disneyland who was arrested
during a police dispersal operation against anti-government protesters in Mong
Kok on Aug. 3.
Jetro Pioquinto faces a charge of illegal assembly and is
out on $10,000 bail.
The prosecutor told Kowloon City Court on Sept 30 that
investigators are planning to add more charges against Pioquinto based on his
alleged contacts with other protesters.
He made the disclosure after opposing an application by
Pioquinto to be allowed to fly home to the Philippines
Pioquinto and his co-accused, Lee Wing-ho, appeared before
Magistrate Ada Yim for a review of the conditions imposed when they were
granted bail on Aug 5.
The volunteer defense counsel said Pioquinto wanted to apply
for leave to go home in December, saying he had complied with all his bail
conditions and had shown good behavior.
The defense lawyer also applied to have the curfew time
imposed on the two adjusted to 1am until 6am, instead of the previous midnight
to 6am. Pioquinto is said to leave his work at Disneyland
at 11pm and risks arrest if he doesn’t reach his address in Mong Kok by midnight.
Magistrate Yim said at first that she was inclined to allow
the defendant to leave Hong Kong for the family
reunion due to his compliance with the bail conditions and good behavior.
But she will double his bail to $20,000 and require him to
report to the police one day before his departure and after his arrival.
When the prosecutor objected, saying there was a risk
Pioquinto would abscond, the magistrate brushed this aside, saying it made
sense to grant the request, especially since the prosecution had not yet
finalized its case against him.
“Letting him visit his family is more practical than letting
them come over to visit him,” she said. “He came here to work and will return
to that work.”
But the prosecutor argued the case would be ready for plea by the end of November, after investigators decide on whether additional charges would be filed.
Magistrate Yim told the prosecution to complete its case against
Pioquinto by Oct 28 so the trial could be set immediately.
But when she said she wanted to fix a January trial date,
the defense lawyer said she might not be available during that month.
Yim set the next hearing on Nov 26, and extended the bail of
Pioquinto and Lee. She also adjusted their curfew to start at 1am and last
until 6am.
But she warned them to comply with the bail conditions or
risk arrest and confiscation of their bail money.
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