Hong Kong policeman cleared of assault after claiming he was performing exorcism on lover
Conviction quashed after inspector claims he was helping his possessed lover
A police inspector convicted of assaulting his lover had his name cleared yesterday after the top court found his excuse that he had been performing an exorcism was not totally incredible.
Simon Lau Shing-chung, 45, was witnessed slapping the woman on January 4, 2012, according to the written judgment from the Court of Final Appeal. He then repeatedly pushed her up and down on the bed in her flat in Tai Po.
Lau claimed his acts, however, had been lawful as he had consent from the victim - named only as Ms Yau - to use limited violence while attempting to rid her of a ghost.
Lau was convicted of common assault and was fined HK$5,000 in Fanling Court in May last year. The magistrate found his explanation that his girlfriend was possessed to be an "invention" and refused to accept the phone messages as evidence.
But in yesterday's judgment Mr Justice Frank Stock wrote: "[Lau]'s story about belief in ghosts and about attempts to assist Ms Yau when apparently possessed by them would be considered by many to be inherently incredible.
"But in that setting, the account gains credence."