香淑嫻

English

Miss Veronica Heung Shuk-han is a magistrate in Hong Kong, born in Hong Kong. She obtained an LL.B. from the University of London in 2000 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from the University of Hong Kong in 2001, and qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 2003 and in England and Wales in 2008. In 1995 she joined the then Legal Department as a court prosecutor, went into private practice in 2003, was appointed a Special Magistrate in 2007 and a Permanent Magistrate on 20 November 2014, by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. Heung began as a court prosecutor, then became a solicitor in private practice and later joined the Judiciary as a magistrate, giving her experience on both the prosecution and practice sides. She now sits at Fanling Magistrates' Courts as an Acting Principal Magistrate, coordinating the court's business and hearing cases; the post requires the coordination of court business, the supervision of colleagues and the handling of more complex or high-profile matters. The magistracy is Hong Kong's court of first instance for criminal matters, handling the great majority of criminal cases and forming an important part of day-to-day judicial services for residents of the northern New Territories. All judges and judicial officers are appointed by the Chief Executive on the independent recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, under the Basic Law, whose Articles 88 and 92 set out the recommendation mechanism and the criteria for selection. Heung's early experience as a prosecutor made her familiar with prosecution procedure and the requirements of proof, and in becoming a magistrate she had to move from advocate to neutral adjudicator, a transition common to judicial appointments.