murder on 3 April 1980. As Mok was seventeen years old at the time of the offence, he was sentenced to be detained
pending Her Majesty's pleasure. He has spent nearly 11
years in prison so far.
5.
Mok has petitioned the Governor himself for clemency
five times in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. All of these petitions were denied. Mok's case was last reviewed by the
Board of Review, Long Term Prison Sentences, on 29 June 1990
when the Board found that there were no circumstances
warranting a recommendation of an early release.
6.
Mrs Li's petition asks for Mok's release on the grounds
that he regrets the crime and has already been punished
enough. The reports of the Commissioner of Police and the
Commissioner of Correctional Services however indicate that
there are no grounds to justify Mok's early release, or the
setting of a determinate sentence. A report of the Probation Office on the welfare of Mok's family also
concludes that there are no immediate social grounds to
substantiate the petition. The Governor has approved the
conclusions of these reports and has recommended that the
Queen be advised to reject the petition.
7.
The Hong Kong Attorney General has been consulted. He has advised that since the petition asks for clemency solely on compassionate grounds it involves no legal issues which might justify the granting of an early release. The
petition has also been considered by our Legal Adviser who
concurs.
WINAIN/2