Edison Chen in court over sex photo scandal

Edison Chen appeared in court in Canada for the trial of Ho Chun Sze, which is taking place in Hong Kong. This is all about the sex scandal incident known as SexyPhotosGate (and other names) where photos of him and many Hong Kong actresses and performers were released on the web in early 2008. He took the stand to declare that he didn’t release the photos and to defend the women who are the subjects of the pictures.

Did you catch Edison Chan’s three second appearance in The Dark Knight?

Straightstimes

A RELUCTANT Edison Chen was ordered by the Canadian judge to confirm the identities of some women in the pictures. They are actress Cecilia Pak-Chi Cheung, actor-singer Gillian Yan-Tung Chan, former actress Bobo Man-Yu Chan and model-actress Rachel Sze-Wing Ngan. The series of photographs showing Chen in bed with eight of the country’s best-known actresses and singers surfaced on the Internet in January 2008. Chen said that the computer was taken for repairs in the summer of 2006. He said he thought he had deleted the images from the computer.

‘That strongly led me to believe that there was some foul play in this computer store,’ he said.

Chen also testified that he noticed that a second laptop went missing when he was moving last year, but told the judge he did not disclose his password to anyone.

Then on Jan. 29, 2008, he said his friends started contacting him about the images circulating on the Internet.

‘This was a very huge shock to me,’ Chen told the court. A month later, a police inspector showed him a compact disk of photographs.

‘Of course, I had seen these pictures. I took these pictures. They were in my personal computer,’ he said.

‘A well-planned attack’
Edison Chen testifies in racy photos scandal

VANCOUVER (British Columbia) – THE Chinese-Canadian film star in a racy scandal over photos that showed him in bed with eight of China’s best-known actresses and singers testified on Monday against the person accused of accessing his private laptop, which held the images.
…….
Edison Chen, the Vancouver-born star who moved to China as a teenager, testified in a British Columbia courtroom for the trial of Ho Chun Sze, which is taking place in Hong Kong. Ho faces three counts of obtaining access to a computer with illegal intent. Chen refused to return to Hong Kong for the case but he agreed toa deposition in Canada. Hong Kong Chief Magistrate Tong Man flew to Vancouver to hear the evidence.

Canadian Department of Justice lawyer Kerry Swift said the testimony will become part of the case in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong judiciary is allowed to take testimony under a mutual legal assistance treaty and Chen’s testimony will be presented in the Hong Kong case as a deposition.

‘I’m quite a private person. I enjoy my privacy. I need my privacy,’ said Chen, star of a popular series of Hong Kong action films. ‘This was never meant for anyone else to see.’
…..

Chen told the judges he would not answer questions about the women. ‘I am determined to protect their innocence,’ he said.

‘They have suffered enough.’ — AP

Googlenews

Chen said he didn’t disclose his password to anyone and in fact had erased all the images from his computer before it was serviced in the summer of 2006.

“At the time I didn’t know there was such a thing as encryptable data or securing your trash or doing any of that. So in my opinion, when I deleted the file and put it in the trash bin it was deleted,” he told the court.

It was only after the photos and the scandal spread that he said he found out there were many ways to recover previously deleted files.

Chen became argumentative under cross-examination from defence lawyer Kelvin Lai.

He only grudgingly confirmed the names of four of the women.

Chen said everything in the photos between himself and the women was consensual.

“There was nothing forced,” he said.

And he adamantly rejected a suggestion from Lai that he’d moved the pictures to devices other than his computer.

“There’s no way I would make these photos mobile like that.”

Chen told the trial earlier that he went on the Internet to see the photos shortly after his friends started contacting him about the Internet pictures.

“It was more of an attack – a well-planned attack. In the way the images were released. Meaning they were in spurts, like two or 20. The next day it would be 80 and then another day it would be 100,” he testified.

Meanwhile, Gillian has agreed to appear in an interview about the scandal..

Gillian Chung to share impact of sex photo scandal on talk show

Gillian Chung, whose career was badly affected by the outburst of sex photo scandal involving Edison Chen last year, will be resuming work next month by starting on movie and commercial shoots. Chung may also be answering a talk show invite where she will reveal her life and emotions after the scandal in the past year.

Her first strike back into showbiz will be James Yuen’s new movie, where the role as a third party in a relationship is said to be “made-to-measure” for her. Her partner in girl group, Twins, Charlene Choi will cast as the “official girlfriend” in the love triangle. According to Hong Kong media reports, CEO of Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG), Albert Yeung, has invited Andy Lau, who has a healthy image, to “shield” Chung in a successful return, by casting together in several movies.

Chung is now also an East Asia endorsee for a particular jeans brand and has secretly started on the commercial shoots. She will begin the promotional events in Hong Kong.

Other than these, Chung will be taking on an interview by CEO of TVB, Stephen Chan, on his popular talk show “Be My Guest” where she will talk about how the sex scandal has affected her. Chung and EEG did not state what questions should be avoided on the show but requested for the filming to be closed to media. With regards to this, Chan said, “Nothing has been confirmed as yet.”