58
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(3) homosexuals who might be security risks; (4) blackmails; and (5) the homosexual fraternity. That parameter Commissioner of Police or with the Commissioner's permission, was communicated to the SIU by the DCI. The sources of information were (A) signed statements from various persons, (B) photographs, (C) Pol. 155s (i.e. investigation diary reports), (D) verbal reporting and (E) old investigation files going back to 1966 and before. Undercover agents were also sent to homosexual haunts in order to obtain information. Duffy was seen by officers of the SIU right up to his release from prison and provided useful information. Inspector Fulton and the other police inspectors also provided information of varying degrees of importance.
9.
On 20 November 1978 Brooks reported that SIU was gathering information by debriefing boys in protective custody who were concerned in the Duffy case, interviewing known homosexuals, and locating homosexual haunts.
10. Thus from September to December 1978, the SIU obtained certain information in an attempt to establish the pattern of homosexual activity in Hong Kong. On 19 December 1978 Ross submitted to the DCI an interim report, in which he said that in view of the intense public interest in the case, DCI had chaired a meeting on 19 August 1978 to determine future courses of action. Li Kwan-ha, SSP CID N.T., made strong representations as to the abhorrence of homosexual acts amongst the Chinese community and the need for it to be apparent that the Police did not condone such acts, particularly as the charges related to the performance of these acts upon Chinese boys by a European adult. Chief Superintendent Ross continued to say:—
11.
12.
"
Operation Rockcorry
The purpose of 'Rockcorry' was not to investigate homosexuality per se, although inevitably many names came to the attention of the officers engaged on the case, but rather to attempt to establish the pattern in Hong Kong, the recognized haunts of homosexuals and most important, the manner in which boys of the age group involved with Duffy could come in contact with such individuals.
It was therefore necessary to approach the problem from four different angles:—
(a) identification of homosexuals;
(b) identification of homosexual haunts;
(c)
debriefing of the boys who had been Duffy's partners; and
(d) establish sources of information within the homosexual community."
The DCI passed this report to Mr. Henry, DCP Ops.
On the criteria for classifying a target in order of priority as on 2 January 1979, when Brooks and other personnel of the SIU had a "Target Meeting", Brooks said:-
13.
"A person who would be considered or a subject would be considered as of first priority would be within the bounds of the manpower etc. of the unit. In other words, if we have, say, a total of 20 subjects we're looking at, we know we can only deal with two or three of these; I would then decide which of these I would want to investigators working for me to deal with as a matter of priority. Second to that, which I've described, for want of a better term, as of second priority, would be persons who I'd want to be kept under close review and develop as and when time permitted. And third priority, the intention then would be anything falling into that category would be set to one side in case information came or happened to be developed at a later date. It was simply a method of trying to get the officers within the unit together on what we were doing on a day-to-day basis, how to concentrate on more and what to leave more to one side."
Such being the case, procurers would take first priority, similarly a prostitute who had worked with a procurer or a client of a procurer. Given lower priority were persons suspected of being on the periphery of using procurers. Lower still came a person who simply had been mentioned as a homosexual who perhaps frequented a bar used by male prostitutes and procurers.
B.
THE "WINDING-DOWN"
14. By January and February 1979, the SIU had not pursued in-depth inquiries into the majority of the names which had come to light unless their names were actively linked with known procurers. Their main objective was procuration.
15.
On 28 February 1979, Brooks went on leave and Quinn was in command. (Quinn was in command during the whole of Brooks' leave from February to September 1979.) Very little was done by the SIU on homosexuality. At that time the SIU was also doing other work. The work was 75% on homosexuality and 25% other duties, e.g. dealing with the influx of Vietnamese refugees and call-girl rackets. Intelligence gathering nevertheless continued.
16. On 17 April, the SIU submitted five prosecution files (three of which were on customers of procurers) to Mr. G. W. Alderdice, Assistant Principal Crown Counsel of the Legal Department, for advice as to whether there was sufficient evidence upon which to prosecute. There was in fact not enough evidence for the five cases to proceed. By the end of May or early June, the SIU strength was reduced because other priorities took over, e.g., death of two prisoners in police custody, illegal immigrants, call-girl rackets. Almost all the men in the SIU were taken away from the Unit and attached elsewhere.
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