Five men face trial over sex with 14-year-old
HK01 · 3 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago6 MIN
Summary
Five men, including a primary school teacher, a firefighter, a lands officer, an engineering trainee and a YouTuber, appeared before the High Court on Wednesday over allegations that they had unlawful sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between May and June 2023. Prosecutors said the case only came to light after the girl and her mother went to a police station on 4 June 2023 to report that her phone had not been returned, and officers then noticed bruising on her arm.
Key Points
- The defendants are Tam Siu-chun (譚兆竣), 28, a primary school teacher; Chan Ka-ming (陳家明), 33, a lands officer; Ng Kai-ching (吳啟正), 24, an engineering trainee; Cho Kit-ting (曹杰庭), 31, a firefighter; and Wong Pak-hong (黃栢康), 28, a YouTuber.
- Each man faces one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 and one count of committing an indecent act with a child under 16, over alleged incidents from 3 May to 2 June 2023 in Tsuen Wan or Kwai Chung hotels, or a flat in Fuk Loi Estate, Tsuen Wan.
- Cho also faces one count of non-consensual buggery over an allegation that he had anal sex with the girl without her consent on 29 May 2023 at the Hotel Ease in Kwai Chung or Tsuen Wan, while Wong faces two assault occasioning actual bodily harm charges over alleged attacks in a Silka hotel room and lift on 2 June 2023.
- The prosecution said the girl, then a Form Three student born in 2008, used the Heymandi app and later Telegram to chat with men, while her account name included wording such as “14 years old”, “no sex”, “not meeting” and “no allowance needed”.
- CCTV shown in court allegedly captured some defendants entering hotels or housing estates with the girl, and footage from one hotel lift showed a man said to be Wong punching her left upper arm twice; prosecutors also said the girl wore school uniform when meeting some defendants at hotels.
Why It Matters
The trial is likely to focus closely on digital contact between minors and adult men, as well as what the defendants knew about the girl’s age, after prosecutors said one accused admitted under caution that he knew she was under 16 but claimed she was willing. The hearing is continuing, with the girl expected to give evidence by video link on Thursday