Hong Kong entertainer Edison Chen is at the center of a scandal involving racy photos. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports.
In the Hong Kong celebrity scene over-exposure is often the name of the game, but not like this. Racy photos, appearing the showed 8 list singers and actors leaked onto the Internet. Some of the pictures entertainer Edison Chan and some of the Hong Kong most well known starlets appeared to be intimate poses.
Chan, who’s at the center of the scandal, made a public apology.
And in this regard, I’m full of pain, hurt and frustration. I hereabout use this opportunity to apologize to anyone who has been affected by this ….
There’s no comment from the other entertainers.
Police say they believe the photos were downloaded from a computer while it was in for repairs. It’s reported that the computer belonged to Chan. Authorities launched a raid on the store, seizing computers, they say, contained more than 1,300 photos. Police have not commented on the authenticity of the pictures. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the case, including a 23-year-old man, who has been charged with accessing a computer with criminal or dishonest intent. He was in court today and was later released on bond. Legal experts say there will be other matters for the court to consider as the case evolves.
While there are so many of legal issues that have come out of this, whether issues of privacy, obscenity, appropriate, criminal prosecution, er, there are so many of them.
There may be question for Chan as well.
If they are real photographs, did he have consent from the women to take the photographs? If not, what liabilities he faced for that? And if they are doctored photographs themselves and he was negligent.
Chan has not been accused of any wrongdoings in the case. And the scandal for these dominated headlines, one thing is for sure, Hong Kong will be tuning in for the next chapter in this personal illegal drama.
Kristie Lu Stout , CNN, Hong Kong.