Clifford Chance's Charlton arrested over Hong Kong car crash
Clifford Chance Asia managing partner Peter Charlton was arrested last Thursday following a road accident in Hong Kong.
Peter Charlton
Hong Kong Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao was first to report the collision, which occurred around midnight on Thursday 9 March. According to Ming Pao, Charlton was driving a Jaguar sports car after having consumed more than three times the legal limit of alcohol. His car crossed into the oncoming traffic lane of a road in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels district and caused a head-on collision with a taxi. Ming Pao reported that no one was seriously injured in the accident.
Clifford Chance declined to comment on the incident, saying it was a personal matter for Charlton. The firm confirmed that Charlton is in the office and said that so far he had not been charged.
A statement issued by the Hong Kong Police Force said that Charltonwas arrested for drink driving as the concentration of alcohol in his breath was found to have exceeded the prescribed limit, but he was released on bail pending further enquiries and will report back to the police in mid-April 2012.
The breath test results by the police showed that Charlton’s breath contained 70mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, three times the legal limit of 22mg per 100ml of breath. Hong Kong has strict laws against drink driving. Under Hong Kong’s Road Traffic Ordinance, the general maximum penalties for convicted drink driving include a fine of up to HK$25,000, imprisonment for up to three years and disqualification from driving for up to two years.
According to Hong Kong Law Society president Junius Ho, criminal convictions would affect lawyers’ ability to practise in Hong Kong. He explained to Ming Pao that if a member is involved in a criminal prosecution, the society’s disciplinary commission will start assessing whether the criminal record will affect the lawyer’s qualification.
Charlton was elected to the managing partner of Asia role in 2008 (8 September 2008) and relocated to Hong Kong from London, where he served as the firm’s global corporate head. Charlton currently holds a Hong Kong practising license and is dual-qualified in Hong Kong and England.
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Readers' comments (36)
Anon | 16-Mar-2012 11:29 am
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
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Anonymous | 16-Mar-2012 11:43 am
Who cares?
So DUI is not good, sure - we all know that. But lead story on what is supposed to be an informative legal website? Come on guys...leave this one for Ming Pao and don't insult your own intelligence and well established reputation for quality legal journalism. I would suggest that this one be archived now!
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Lost in Honkers | 16-Mar-2012 11:45 am
I thought this type of expat behaviour was long gone. Obviously not!
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Arun | 16-Mar-2012 11:46 am
Well its his personal matter and i don think anyone has to really bother about his behavior!!ITs unto him to keep up the professional sanity so long as he does not become unprofessional!!Who knows what personal mental trauma he had in his family to drink dat much!!the comfortable news is no one is injured is that accident!!
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Anon | 16-Mar-2012 12:13 pm
@ Arun | 16-Mar-2012 11:46 am - It's a 'personal matter' which we should all show huge understanding and sympathy for if it's someone at the the top, and instant dismissal and a likely career change for anyone else. Even in the case of a serious criminal offence.
Despicable.
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Anonymous | 16-Mar-2012 12:55 pm
'understanding & sympathy''....''personal mental trauma..''....this is a drunk driver that came close to killing lives, probably after a jolly of some description .... !
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Anonymous | 16-Mar-2012 12:57 pm
I hope that those people whose comments are effectively trying to talk this despicable crime down as a "personal matter" are from CC PR department and are not qualified solicitors. If you are and that is your standard, you are clearly not fit to be practsing, particularly in today's regulatory climate.
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Anonymous | 16-Mar-2012 1:12 pm
See if you can spot the CC spin doctors in this comments thread. If he was an associate he would be soon gone for bringing the firm into disrepute, but because he is a top guy it is a personal matter and we should feel sorry for him. I imagine CC paid for the booze that nearly killed a poor taxi driver
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Anonymous | 16-Mar-2012 1:13 pm
If he had killed someone in the accident, would it still be a personal matter?
A car my daughter was in was hit by a drunk driver. She survived just fine, one of her friends was killed. The story did hit a personal chord.
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Anonymous | 16-Mar-2012 1:26 pm
Charlton's predicament would be enough to turn most men to drink.
A Clifford Chance partner would never show such poor judgment however, such weakness of character is a trait found only in the peasants.
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