Guardian jailed 20 months for molesting disabled relative
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago4 MIN
Summary
A 68-year-old man was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, sitting as the District Court, after admitting one count of indecent assault on a mentally incapacitated woman in Tseung Kwan O on August 16, 2024. The court heard he shaved the victim’s pubic hair with a razor and touched her genitals after taking her from her hostel to his home, and the judge said he had exploited a vulnerable woman who depended on him as her guardian.
Key Points
- Deputy Judge Hsu Yee-wai (徐綺薇) said the defendant should have protected the victim’s dignity and safety, but instead used his position as guardian to abuse her.
- The defendant, identified as L.H.Y., 68, had no previous convictions, left school at Primary Two level, worked as a seaman and retired in 2025
- The victim, identified as X, was diagnosed with moderate intellectual disability in 1979 and had lived in a hostel for people with intellectual disabilities since 1994
- After the victim’s sister, who had been her guardian, died, the defendant became her guardian; Sing Tao reported he became her legal guardian after his wife died in 2012.
- In a cautioned and video-recorded interview, the defendant said he acted on impulse and curiosity, shaved the victim’s pubic hair for about five minutes, and later wrapped the hair in newspaper before throwing it away.
Why It Matters
The sentencing underscores the courts’ emphasis on deterrent punishment where offences target mentally incapacitated people who have limited ability to resist, report or protect themselves. It also shows that harm may still be serious even when a victim’s trauma is not easily observable because of limited communication ability.