CUHK associate professor acquitted in indecent assault case
Thestandard · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A Chinese University of Hong Kong associate professor was acquitted at Sha Tin Court on Monday of two indecent assault charges involving a visiting female scholar over alleged incidents in Ma On Shan on May 21, 2025. Magistrate Raymond Wong Kwok-fai ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt and said the evidence left open the possibility that the defendant believed the woman had consented to the touching.
Key Points
- Peng Peng, 38, an associate professor in CUHK's Department of Fine Arts, had denied two counts linked to an outing with a mainland Chinese scholar.
- The pair met in April after a conference, later visited CUHK's art museum, and then went to Ma On Shan for dinner on May 21, 2025.
- The first allegation said Peng touched the woman's waist and hip while crossing a road near a taxi stand on Chak Cheung Street.
- The second allegation accused Peng of touching her buttocks for about 10 seconds while they were looking at a fish tank in a restaurant.
- The magistrate cited emails and WeChat messages, including affectionate remarks, in finding mutual attraction and reasonable doubt over consent.
Why It Matters
The ruling shows how courts scrutinise context, prior communications and the precision of a complainant's account when assessing indecent assault allegations. For Hong Kong universities, the case also draws attention to conduct and boundaries in academic exchanges involving staff and visiting scholars.