A local bus driver working for a local church was detained on Monday for the alleged sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl on at least three occasions this month, Judiciary Police (PJ) Choi Ian Fai said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Choi, the 55-year-old suspect is surnamed Chan. He told the police that he has worked as a driver for a church in Coloane since 2017. The victim is an 11-year-old girl who studies in a school in the peninsula’s northern district. Due to the type of alleged crime, no further information on the girl was released by the police.
Choi added that the girl’s mother is in jail because of which a church in Coloane is taking care of her. Choi did not reveal the reason for the woman’s incarceration; neither did he mention the situation of the girl’s father.
According to Choi, the alleged cases of sexual abuse happened on September 13 and on Wednesday and Thursday last week. The scared victim only told the head of the church on Friday about the abuse, according to Choi.
On the three days when the abuse allegedly occurred, Chan collected the girl and other pupils from school. Choi said that apart from the pupils another staff member was on the bus. Chan asked the girl to sit next to him so that they could chat a bit. When there was no one else on the bus, Chan allegedly touched her breast and lower body, according to Choi.
Choi said that after each case of abuse on the bus, the girl felt ashamed. The church head, whose gender was not revealed by Choi, told the police about the abuse shortly after the girl had told him or her about it on Friday when both went to a police station.
Choi said that Chan was detained on Monday. Chan denied the alleged abuse.
The suspect has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP). He faces arraignment on a charge of sexual abuse of a child.
Meanwhile, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) in a statement last night “condemned” the case and reaffirmed that it has zero tolerance for sexual child abuse and promised to handle the case in strict accordance with the law. The bureau said it has contacted the victim and will provide all the necessary support and psychological assistance in due course.
