Benny Chan Escapes Jail! Rose Chan Forgives Him for Lewd Groping

Earlier, Benny Chan’s (陳浩民) scandalous groping of 19-year-old actress, Rose Chan (陳嘉桓), while witnessed by a blase Joe Ma (馬德鐘) in Hengdian, China stunned the world. A very public scolding against Benny for his inappropriate behavior, which occurred after drinking too much alcohol, ensued. The drama continued as Rose’s martial arts sifu, Sin Kwok Lam (冼國林), called Benny Chan a hypocrite and bastard for his actions. Rose Chan filed a police report in Hong Kong over the harassment incident, while Benny Chan took along his pregnant wife, Lisa Chiang (蔣麗莎), to hold a tearful press conference apologizing to Rose; Benny vowed to cut back his alcohol consumption. Yesterday, Benny published an apology statement to Rose in the newspaper, allegedly as a final effort to change her decision to file a police report with the mainland authorities over the incident. Apparently, Benny’s sincerity worked as Sin Kwok Lam announced yesterday that charges will not be pressed against Benny with the mainland authorities. 

Sin Kwok Lam: “Benny Chan Is Finally Sincere in His Apology”

After Benny Chan’s public apology in the newspaper, Sin Kwok Lam held a press conference yesterday acknowledging that Benny’s raucous behavior has been forgiven. Sin Sifu said, “Both Benny Chan and I recently became fathers to baby daughters. Perhaps we should not place such a big stress burden on Benny. My wife supports my decision as well. We felt that Benny Chan has already apologized and contributed to charity donations. The incident should end here; there is a satisfactory resolution for all involved parties. He issued a public apology [in both mainland China and Hong Kong] and donated money to a meaningful charitable cause. There is sufficient sincerity [in his apology], thus we decided not to pursue the matter any further. All legal actions will now come to an end!”

Asked how much money Benny Chan had contributed to charity, Sin Sifu did not disclose the amount, but noted that the donation was no less than Joe Ma’s contribution. Sin Sifu added that if Benny Chan, Joe Ma, and Rose Chan were to collaborate together in future projects, such plans will not be intentionally blocked. 

Rose Chan’s Psychological Well-Being Considered in Accepting Benny Chan’s Apology 

Aside from Benny Chan’s sincerity in his apology, Sin Kwok Lam indicated that if a report were filed with the mainland authorities over the harassment incident, Rose Chan will be summoned for prolonged questioning by the police. Court appearances may also be required. Rose may need to publicly reveal the details of what had occurred on that day. Considering the psychological impact of such requirements on Rose, it was decided to accept Benny’s apology.

In addition, Sin Sifu denied that the acceptance of Benny’s apology was not driven by alleged triad coercion over the matter. Sin Sifu indicated that Rose was willing to accept Benny’s apology and not forced in her decision. Hopefully, the harassment incident will finally come to an end, while earlier legal actions will be canceled.

Rose Chan Sent Her Blessings to Benny Chan

Stepping out of the shadow of the harassment incident, Rose Chan immersed in work and was currently filming movie, Glory Days <光輝歲月>in mainland, China. Her mother, Ronnie, who also acted as her manager, responded, “Thank you for your concern. The incident has been properly handled by Sin Sifu. Rose and I fully agree with his decision and are happy that justice was given to my daughter and me. We agreed to not pursue the matter further.”

In addition, Rose Chan appeared in a Now TV interview, sending her blessings to Benny Chan. Rose said, “The incident is behind us now. For his family and for himself, I hope that he will be a good artist.  My mother and I hope that he can do it and send our blessings to Benny, his wife, and baby daughter to have a healthy and happy life.” 

Benny Chan Learned His Lesson 

Currently filming mainland series, Ji Gong 3 <濟公3>in Hengdian, Benny Chan closely monitored the developments of Sin Kwok Lam’s press conference announcing that Rose Chan will not file a police report in China over the harassment incident. Through his manager, Charlie Lam, Benny replied, “In the afternoon, I received the news that Sin Kwok Lam has publicly accepted my apology. Receiving Sin Sifu, Rose Chan, and her mother’s forgiveness, I am extremely comforted.  Once again, I thank Sin Sifu’s generosity! I will never forget this incident and have learned my lesson!” 

Acknowledging that he will devote himself to work in the future, Benny was grateful for the public’s concern. “I would like to thank members of the media for their care and support over the last month.” Charlie Lam indicated that Benny arrived in Hangzhou yesterday morning and headed to the temple to place his prayers. Since Benny successfully escaped from a potential lawsuit, it was indeed worth paying a visit to thank the deities!

       

Compiled from On.cc

Jayne: Many negotiations must have occurred in private. Perhaps Sunday Oriental’s publication of a smiling Rose while being fondled by Benny Chan also halted their decision to file a police report in mainland China.

The apologies and forgiveness have been very publicly stated. Are fans ready to forgive and move on too? This was one huge media circus act!