31
20.
John MacLennan spoke with great pride of his being a member of The Royal Hong Kong Police Force, and he held the Police Force in high esteem. He hated to hear, or read, anything to the detriment of the Force, and was “very loud in his condemnation of any person who brought discredit upon the Force."
C. MACLENNAN'S SEXUAL PROCLIVITY
21.
The evidence of David Lau (see Chapter 3 "The Yuen Long incident") and the male prostitutes (see Chapter 5 on SIU investigation into MacLennan) suggests that John MacLennan was a homosexual. His friends, colleagues and other persons who knew him best emphatically stated, however, that John MacLennan had never revealed any outward sign of homosexual tendencies, indeed quite the contrary.
22.
Christopher Burns (Inspector of Police). One of MacLennan's closest friends was Inspector Burns, who had known him since 1973 when they were both receiving training at the Police Training School. To Burns, John MacLennan was very much a "womaniser". He admitted that, prior to his marriage in August 1977, he and MacLennan spent a lot of free time together, and they invariably went drinking and womanising round the bars and brothels. He said that MacLennan had taken many bar girls to his quarters at Kwun Tong and most of them stayed overnight. According to Burns, MacLennan had so many girls to his quarters that he never knew their correct names or addresses. Chief Inspector Atkinson, who was MacLennan's superior when he served at the Kwun Tong Police Station in 1973, supported Burns' evidence that MacLennan was a "womaniser".
23. According to Burns, MacLennan basically confined his sexual interest to women of “less moral standing” such as "ladies of the night" or "ladies of easy virtue". Burns said that MacLennan had very few long term relationship with women "of a decent sort". As far as he was aware, there were only three such cases: the first one was a Chinese girl from a dance hall, the second one was an Army Nurse and the third one was a Filipina maid servant working for an American family on the Peak. Senior Inspector Muller, who lived directly beneath MacLennan's flat at Ho Man Tin Service Flats, also knew of this Filipina girlfriend as on several occasions she had answered when Muller knocked on MacLennan's door.
24.
Burns also said that MacLennan would behave in a thoroughly gentlemanly manner to all decent girls he was ever seen with socially. Burns said that he knew of no such girls (i.e. respectable girls) whom MacLennan had sex with. To Burns, MacLennan was always anti-homosexual and felt that it was abnormal behaviour, which, in a disciplined sense, could not be tolerated. MacLennan also told Burns that anyone with homosexual inclinations should leave Hong Kong because "the law is the Law".
25.
Sally Haddon.3 Miss Sally Haddon, an occupational therapist, met MacLennan at Christmas of 1979 and had gone out with him on several occasions since that time. She confirmed that MacLennan was "always a very polite gentlemanly person, and also very considerate." A few days before his death, MacLennan invited her to his flat after dinner but he did not have sex with her. Miss Haddon said that she had no inclination that he had homosexual tendencies, and found that such allegations as reported in the press very hard to believe.
26.
Nancy Chan. Miss Nancy Chan, who claimed to be a professional masseuse and was traced by the Commission through information provided by Inspector Burns, admitted in evidence that she did render, from time to time, sexual services to her customers upon request. MacLennan was one of her customers, and he had visited her quite often, normally once a month, from the end of 1978 until the end of 1979. Upon MacLennan's specific request, she had performed oral sex and, at the same time, had inserted a vibrator into his anus for sexual stimulation. MacLennan never had normal sex of a heterosexual nature with her. Although Nancy Chan is a female, her evidence of MacLennan's preference, particularly as to his anal stimulation, supports my belief that he favoured homosexual practices.
27.
7 Ah Tung. Ah Tung, whose full name is directed not to be published, is 23 years of age and came to know a procurer, Molo Tsui, in about 1975. Through the introduction of Molo Tsui, Ah Tung performed homosexual services at Molo Tsui's flat for a number of customers, amongst whom was MacLennan. After staying at Molo Tsui's flat for two months, Ah Tung worked at an establishment called the Yeung Kwong Bath House at Carnavon Road, Kowloon. MacLennan was his regular customer there and each time he paid $200 to the Bath House and $50 to Ah Tung for the homosexual services provided. On one occasion MacLennan said that he had not brought enough money and did not pay the $50 to Ah Tung. Having worked for the Bath House for six months, Ah Tung returned to Molo Tsui's flat to work there. On one occasion in around 1975, Ah Tung saw MacLennan coming out from room in Molo Tsui's flat with a Chinese boy, who also worked for Molo Tsui. Ah Tung told Molo Tsui that MacLennan owed him $50. Molo Tsui did not say anything. A week later, Molo Tsui mentioned to Ah Tung that MacLennan had told him he wanted Ah Tung to live with him and asked if he was willing to do so. Ah Tung did not accept the offer, and he never met MacLennan again.
4 See Christopher Burn's evidence: Transcript pages 2093-2123.
7
5 See Miss Haddon's statement of 7 February 1980.
6 See Miss Nancy Chan's evidence: Transcript pages 2079-2093.
See Ah Tung's evidence: Transcript pages 3449-3498.