Hong Kong police officer denies molesting woman doctor in 'search'

[FacetheMusic]

Hong Kong police officer denies molesting woman doctor in 'search'

Police officer's counsel raises doubts about alleged victim's account

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 09 April, 2015, 11:52pm
UPDATED : Friday, 10 April, 2015, 1:25am

Thomas Chan [email protected]

Constable Kong Ho-wan pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent assault and one count of misconduct in public office at Eastern Court. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A police constable took a medical doctor who had just been released from custody back into police headquarters and molested her under the guise of conducting a body search, a court heard on Thursday.

But counsel for defendant Kong Ho-wan raised doubts about the alleged victim's account of events and questioned whether the senior inspector in charge of the case had a conflict of interest.

Kong yesterday pleaded not guilty to one count of indecent assault and one count of misconduct in public office at Eastern Court.

The prosecution argued that, shortly after midnight on January 13, Kong took the doctor, referred to only as "X" for legal reasons, into a female bathroom at police headquarters in Wan Chai.

There, the court heard, the officer slipped his hand into her bra, then lowered her underwear and looked at her private parts for two seconds. The woman had just been released on police bail after being arrested for shoplifting the previous day, the court heard.

But Cheng Huan SC, for Kong, cast doubt over X's witness statement as he questioned Senior Inspector Wong Sau-kwan, the officer in charge of the case.

Wong agreed with Cheng when the lawyer put to her that X had told police she agreed to go with Kong "because she had not been searched".

But Cheng pointed to a police document which showed she had in fact undergone a body search from a female officer about five hours before the alleged offence.

Wong agreed with Cheng's assertion that: "If she had been searched, it would totally undermine her credibility."

Cheng also grilled Wong as to whether there was a conflict of interest in the fact she also oversaw the theft case against X. She had been caught red-handed stealing items including yogurt and chocolate from a supermarket in Causeway Bay, the court heard. But Wong decided not to offer any evidence against her, instead allowing her to be bound over.

Wong denied there was any conflict of interest in the fact that she oversaw both cases.

Cheng put it to Wong that the motive of allowing her to be bound over was "to ensure she would cooperate with the authorities to give evidence in this indecent assault case". Wong disagreed.

X will take the stand when the case continues today before Magistrate Lee Siu-ho.