A 19-year old student has pleaded guilty to criminal damage after using a TVB actor’s information when applying to withdraw from the city’s organ donation registry last May, when there was a wave of withdrawal applications.
Wong Tsz-shing appeared at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday. After the hearing, the magistrate said the case was too severe for community service to be considered as a penalty, local media reported. Wong was immediately detained pending sentencing on Mar 27.
The court heard that Wong filed a withdrawal application on the website of the Centralised Organ Donation Registry on May 23, 2023, using the information of the TVB actor Cho Wing-lim. Cho, known for his support of the police, later told officers that he had not authorised the application.
Wong also tried to file applications using the information of pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho and former chief executive Carrie Lam, although neither application was ultimately completed.
Wong admitted to the police after his arrest last year that he had obtained Cho’s information from a doxxing website, Ming Pao reported. He added that he had just done it for fun and had not carefully read the instructions on the registry’s website.
Managed by Department of Health, the Centralised Organ Donation Registry requires applicants to submit their identity number, date of birth, mobile phone number and address to file a withdrawal application.
“Fraudulent use of others’ personal data to apply for withdrawal from the Centralised Organ Donation Register without consent is an unlawful act. It will also affect those who have an authentic wish to donate organs and patients waiting for organ transplantation. The Department of Health will take resolute follow-up actions for all suspected cases, ” a notice on the website reads.
Proposed cooperation with Chinese authorities
Hong Kong announced in December 2022 that it would explore the possibility of cooperating with mainland Chinese authorities to allow organs from Hong Kong to be donated to recipients in mainland China, and vice versa.
Authorities said that there was spike in organ donation withdrawal applications following the announcement, with a surge of 28,000 withdrawal applications between May 22 and 24 last year.
The police arrested four suspects last June and charged two of them with criminal damage, including Wong and a 47-year-old designer.
Tony Ko, Head of Hospital Authority, said last June that the proposed mechanism would not interfere with patients’ wait for organs. It would only be activated when donated organs were not matched with suitable patients in Hong Kong or in mainland China.
However, there has been no update on the proposed mechanism since last June.
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