A local man was arrested on Friday for sexually harassing a primary schoolgirl, by putting his hand under the shorts of the under-12-year-old who was on a bus en route to school alone and touching her inner thighs and lower body on three occasions, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lou Chan Fai said when he announced the arrest of the 51-year-old suspect during a special press conference on Saturday.
After having been notified by a school in the city centre via their cooperation mechanism about the victim’s sexual harassment on Friday morning, the Judiciary Police launched an investigation, according to which, Lou said, the victim caught a bus in Taipa to go the central district at around 7 a.m. as usual, when the suspect surnamed Cheang approached her and sat next to her. During the ride, Lou added, on three occasions, Cheang put his left hand under the victim’s shorts and touched the girl’s inner thighs and private parts for more than 20 seconds each time, even though the victim had tried to remove the suspect’s hand to show her resistance.
Lou noted that the victim was too scared to call out for help and merely left her seat to hide in another part of the bus at that time. However, Lou added, the incident was eventually revealed and reported to the police when the victim got off the bus at the bus stop near her school and, after arriving at her school, cried when she was telling her teacher about the incident. The teacher immediately contacted the girl’s parents and the school also notified the Judiciary Police about the case through their cooperation mechanism.
According to Lou, the Judiciary Police arrested Cheang, who told the police that he works as a residential building’s doorman, at his workplace in the northern district within five hours of the incident.
Cheang has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a sexual coercion charge.
Police encourage sexual assault victims: ‘It’s not your fault’
In addition, PJ Youth Concern Group Duty Supervisor Cheong Kim Fong said during Friday’s press conference that the case had been uncovered thanks to the victim’s courage in reporting the incident and the school’s immediate notification, which led to the timely intervention of the police, urging sexual coercion victims to remember that “it’s not your fault”, so stay calm in the face of sexual harassment and call for help if it is safe to do so: “If you are approached, physically touched, or someone attempts to molest or even sexually assault you, you should firmly resist, leave the scene and seek help from parents, teachers, school counsellors and the police as soon as possible. If the incident occurs on the bus, you should call out to the bus driver and passengers for help while ensuring your own safety”.
During the press conference, Cheong also encouraged witnesses to fulfil their civic duty and take the initiative to assist the victim and the police in solving the case as soon as possible.
‘The girl is now emotionally stable’: DSEDJ vice-chief
Meanwhile, addressing a public event on Friday, Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Deputy Director Wong Ka Ki praised the girl’s decision to immediately tell her teacher about the incident, saying that her school’s teachers and counsellors have provided appropriate counselling so that the girl was now emotionally stable.
Wong also said that the bureau was “very concerned” about the incident, adding that it will continue to educate schoolchildren to tell people they trust, such as teachers, counsellors and parents, if they are victims of such incidents.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers, including spokesman Lou Chan Fai (centre) and Youth Concern Group Duty Supervisor Cheong Kim Fong (left), pose during Saturday’s special press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape. – Photo courtesy of TDM
