Silence broken: Hong Kong court hears woman whose uncle molested her 26 years ago stepped forward after university lecture
The victim, now 33 and a graduate student, learned last year there is no time limit for prosecuting sexual offences in the city
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 22 March, 2016, 5:26pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 22 March, 2016, 7:28pm
Eddie Lee
A victim of child sexual abuse broke her two-decade silence and pursued her case against her abuser – her uncle – after she realised last year she could still do so, the District Court was told.
The court, presided over by Judge Eddie Yip Chor-man, heard that the defendant, whose identity could not be revealed for legal reasons, allegedly molested his niece at his Sha Tin flat in 1989. She was seven years old at the time.
The 63-year-old chef pleaded guilty on Tuesday. Yip adjourned sentencing to April 18 pending background reports.
The victim, now 33, is a graduate student. She discovered last year at a university lecture on sexual assault that she could still report such an offence to the police even though it had happened a long time ago.
Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung, who did not represent any party in the case, said there was no time limit for prosecutions for sexual offences in Hong Kong.
It was revealed in court that the victim’s mother, a sister of the defendant’s wife, allowed the seven-year-old to stay overnight at his home when the offence took place nearly 27 years ago.
The families were close and the victim spent a lot of time playing with the defendant’s three young daughters during their childhood.
The victim did not tell anyone that she had been molested by her uncle until 2014. But her elder brother, who was informed of the case that year, did not take any action or suggest that she report the matter to the police.
The victim and her brother finally decided to act after they met the defendant in October last year, during which their uncle allegedly denied the offence.
In making a plea for leniency, the defendant told the court he was under a lot of pressure then as he needed to work long hours to support his family.
