The son of kung fu star Dato’ Jackie Chan was released from a Chinese jail today (13th Feb) after serving a 6-month term for drugs offences, his agency said.
Jaycee Chan, who like his father has worked as an actor and singer, was detained in August and charged with providing a venue for others to use drugs after police found 100g of marijuana at his home in Beijing. He had already spent 5 months in prison when he was sentenced in January after pleading guilty to the crime.
The 32-year-old son of Dato’ Jackie Chan was set free from a prison in the Chinese capital early this morning, his management M’Stones International said in a statement. Chan and the company will hold a press conference on Saturday (14th Feb) at which the star will “formally apologise and explain to the public”.
According to Straits Times, citing Chinese web portal NetEase, Jaycee Chan gave journalists the slip by getting into the back seat of a waiting car in the wee hours of this morning at Dongcheng District Detention Centre. The car was reportedly speeding and running red lights in order to dodge the media, who later attempted to stop the car at a toll booth. It was reported that some journalists suffered minor injuries when the driver sped off.
At least 10 locally-known stars were detained on drug-related charges last year, according to state-run media. Experts say the arrests are part of a wider campaign by Beijing to promote morality. Chinese authorities have also targeted prostitution and the broader illegal drugs trade over the past year.
Jaycee Chan has featured in several films but not yet won the acclaim earned by his father, one of Asia’s best-known actors with a string of Hollywood hits to his name.
The only thing left to do now is to wait for the press conference to happen tomorrow. We’ll keep you guys posted on his official statement!
Sources: The Star Online, Straits Times.
