Tutor Pleads Guilty in Child Indecent Assault Retrial
On.cc · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A volunteer male tutor accused of indecently assaulting an 11-year-old boy during homework tutoring sessions in Sham Shui Po changed his plea to guilty at a District Court retrial on two charges. The Department of Justice had earlier appealed against his acquittal on those two counts and won, leading to the case being remitted to the District Court before another judge for a fresh hearing. The defendant, Ho Wing-hang, 48, had previously been convicted on a separate indecent assault count from August 13, 2022 and jailed for seven months. Acting District Judge Connie Heung Suk-han adjourned sentencing to September 3 for background and psychological reports, saying she could not see deep remorse from the defendant.
Key Points
- Ho Wing-hang admitted indecently assaulting boy X in Sham Shui Po on August 20 and August 27, 2022, when the child was 11 years old.
- The incidents were alleged to have happened at a homework tutoring class run by the Society for Community Organization in Hong Kong.
- Court details said surveillance footage captured Ho touching the boy's thigh, genitals and chest on August 20, and genitals, buttocks and chest on August 27.
- The boy, born in 2011, had attended the community association's tutoring class since 2018, and told his mother on August 27, 2022 about the touching.
- The defence said the defendant had learned a major lesson, but the judge noted he had appealed after the first trial and found no sign of profound remorse.
Why It Matters
The case shows how prosecution appeals can reopen acquittals on specific charges and lead to a retrial in Hong Kong's criminal courts. It also underlines the legal and safeguarding risks for organisations running children's tutoring or care programmes, especially where abuse allegations are supported by CCTV evidence.