Probationary inspector loses appeal over molesting two policewomen
HK01 · 3 SOURCES1 day ago5 MIN
Summary
A High Court judge on Monday dismissed the conviction and sentence appeal of probationary inspector Yeung Mang-hei (楊孟羲), who had been found guilty of two counts of indecent assault involving two policewomen. The court upheld the original 10-week jail term and revoked his bail pending appeal, meaning he must serve the sentence immediately.
Key Points
- Yeung, 38 and married at the time of conviction, was convicted after trial of indecently assaulting complainant X on 9 September 2024 outside Room B8 of the Support Group office in the basement of Yuen Long Police Station.
- He was also convicted over a separate incident in November 2023 at the main parade ground of the Hong Kong Police College in Wong Chuk Hang, where complainant Y said her buttocks were forcefully brushed for about one second.
- An additional common assault charge, alleging that Yeung assaulted complainant Z inside Room B21 of the patrol sub-unit office at Yuen Long Police Station on 2 May 2024, had earlier resulted in an acquittal after trial.
- Deputy High Court Judge Cheung Kit-yee held that both complainants gave clear and reliable evidence, and agreed with the trial court that Yeung’s equipment, gloves, cap or rifle could not reasonably explain the contact as accidental.
- On sentence, the judge ruled that indecent assaults on women are serious whether committed in public, on MTR trains or at workplaces, and that fines or community service could not reflect the gravity of the case, so imprisonment was the only proper option.
Why It Matters
The ruling leaves intact the court’s view that a serving police officer who sexually violates colleagues at a police station or training ground breaches the trust placed in him by the force and damages public confidence in policing. It also confirms that the court regarded deterrent punishment as necessary even though each incident involved a brief over-clothing touch.