A high school student was arrested on Tuesday for sexually harassing two women in the Barrier Gate area last week, according to a regular police press conference yesterday.
A Public Security Police (PSP) spokesperson said during the press conference that the male suspect, aged 16, surnamed Cheong, touched the buttocks of a woman in her forties with his lower body while queuing at a cash desk in a shop in the Barrier Gate area last Saturday while the victim, a non-resident worker (NRW), told police later that she felt a “hard object” hitting her buttocks. She did not immediately report the case to the police.
The spokesperson added that the Public Security Police received a report from the victim the next day after she saw the suspect pressing his body against the buttocks of another female passer-by in the Barrier Gate area.
The Public Security Police arrested Cheong on Tuesday in the same district. He told police that he harassed the two women because he was attracted to them.
Cheong has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a sexual harassment charge, according to the spokesperson, who said that the case has also been reported to the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) for follow-up.
According to the Macau Penal Code, criminal responsibility only applies to those of the age of 16 or above. Offenders under the age of 16 cannot be held criminally liable for their deeds. However, the authorities can impose extrajudicial measures on them such as educational supervision and social protection procedures.
