Anthony Lai

Anthony is a practitioner specialised in criminal law. He is particularly interested in criminal appeals which involve novel or specialised point of law. In his years of practice, he has appeared before all levels of criminal appeal courts. Anthony is also interested in the academic study of the law. He used to teach evidence law as a tutor at the Department of Law of the University of Hong Kong.

• LLB, HKU (2013)
• PCLL, HKU (2014)

Temporary Part-time Lecturer (Non-Clinical), Department of Law, HKU

• Jan 2020 to Aug 2020 (marking exam papers for the 2^nd semester for Evidence course)
• Sept 2020 to Aug 2021 (teaching tutorials and marking exam papers for both semesters for Evidence course)
• Sept 2021 to Aug 2022 (teaching tutorials and marking exam papers for the 1^st semester for Evidence course)
• Sept 2022 to Aug 2023 (teaching tutorials and marking exam papers for the 2^nd semester for Evidence course)

Co-founder, Hong Kong British Parliamentary Debating Championship
–  an English debate tournament for Hong Kong secondary school students

• Contributor, Archbold Hong Kong 2025
• Author, “Revisiting The ‘Person in Authority’ Requirement in The Voluntariness Rule in Hong Kong”, published in Hong Kong Lawyer (March 2023)
• Author, “’Deceit’ and ‘Deception’ After Chan Kam Ching: Deceivingly Simple Concepts?”, published in Hong Kong Lawyer (February 2025)

– Court of Final Appeal

HKSAR v Chan Chu Leung (2024) 27 HKCFAR 31
(led by Mr. Shahmim K. Khattak (Kelly Lam) and with Mr. Chris Chan and Mr. Jackson Chow)
– Attempted drug trafficking; right to silence in the context of lack of or late complaint regarding police impropriety

HKSAR v Kwan Tat Yee (2024) 27 HKCFAR 6 
(led by Mr. Eric Cheung (solicitor advocate) and with Ms. Christie Lee)
– Murder; whether a Liberato direction was needed when there was a conflict of evidence emanating from a defence witness

HKSAR v Zhou Limei (2020) 23 HKCFAR 169
(led by Mr. Shahmim K. Khattak (Kelly Lam) and with Ms. Holly Cheng)
– Drug trafficking; whether a 2^nd retrial was appropriate in the light of the Appellant’s psychiatric condition

– Court of Appeal

香港特別行政區 訴 袁凱琳 [2025] 1 HKC 624
(led by Mr. Eric Cheung (solicitor advocate) and with Ms. Christie Lee)
– Drug trafficking; principles of Browne v Dunn and splitting the prosecution case

香港特別行政區 訴 岑曉麟 [2023] 3 HKLRD 178 
(led by Ms. Catherine Wong)
– Riot; application of principles in Lo Kin Man; application of s101D of Criminal Procedure Ordinance

香港特別行政區 訴 廖月琴 [2021] HKCA 1788
(led by Mr. Shahmim K. Khattak (Kelly Lam))
– Drug trafficking; confession obtained by fiancee’s inducements and oppression; need for a Mushtaq direction

香港特別行政區 訴 周禮梅 [2020] 1 HKLRD 217
(with Ms. Holly Cheng)
– Drug trafficking; appropriate directions when lack of fingerprint and DNA; Liberato direction; lies and concealment

HKSAR v Man Chun Pun [2019] 4 HKLRD 426
– Causing death by dangerous driving; application of sentencing guidelines

HKSAR v Wiwik Lestari[2018] 3 HKC 110
(led by Mr. Shahmim K. Khattak (Kelly Lam))
– Drug trafficking; suspicion about carrying dangerous drugs not enough for conviction

– Court of First Instance

香港特別行政區 訴 李志宏 [2024] 4 HKLRD 717
(with Mr. Stephen Keung)
– ⁠Behaving in a noisy or disorderly manner in a public place; appeal against conviction and sentence

香港特別行政區 訴 陳展程 [2024] 3 HKLRD 751
(led by Mr. Shahmim K. Khattak (Kelly Lam) and Ms. Wendy Lau)
– ⁠Indecent assault; good character directions

香港特別行政區 訴 李群超 [2023] 5 HKLRD 194
(led by Dr. Alain Sham)
– Wilful neglect of a child; recklessness; wilful neglect

香港特別行政區 訴 CKC [2021] 3 HKLRD 245
– Indecent assault; defence’s failure to establish complainant’s motive to frame not a reason to disbelieve defendant; section 15 of Juvenile Offenders Ordinance