Hong Kong: bar time for Kevin Egan

Well-known barrister and defence lawyer Kevin Egan was this morning sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. Second vice-president and a regular at the bar of Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club, it looks like Mr Egan will now be propping up a bar of a different sort.

Egan was convicted based partly on the testimony of then court reporter of the South China Morning Post, Magdalen Chow. Both that reporter and SCMP were granted immunity from prosecution.

But as Egan's counsel, John McNamara, stated in court:

Egan had tried to warn Chow against publishing information about the potential witness by telling her to look up the relevant law.
"Had she done so, she would have realized it was an offense by her, the editor of the newspaper, and the company itself," he said, adding that she also knew there was a gag order and should have paid utmost care to what was published.
"Why should he be sentenced for what the SCMP has done?"

More? Hong Kong Standard

Methinks Egan will appeal the sentence and conviction.