Edison scandal: Man on trial

		Chen, who fled to Canada, has publicly apologised. He and others in the scandal have only recently started to reappear in public. --PHOTO: NP

HONG KONG - A HONG Kong computer technician accused of stealing the racy images at the center of a celebrity sex photo scandal has pleaded not guilty.

Sze Ho-chun entered his plea in Hong Kong court on Monday as his criminal trial got under way.

The 24-year-old technician allegedly stole photos from the laptop computer of movie star Edison Chen showing him performing sex acts with famous actresses and singers. The photos shocked the Chinese-speaking world after their release on the Internet last year.

Chen, who fled to Canada, has publicly apologised. He and others in the scandal have only recently started to reappear in public.

Sze is charged with obtaining access to a computer with dishonest intent. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted.