Hong Kong father in neglect trial says his own abusive past prevented him from assaulting wife and children
Rocky Ling has denied perverting the course of justice in case that involves the alleged neglect of his seven-year-old daughter
A Hong Kong man accused of assaulting his wife and children before his seven-year-old daughter nearly died from neglect told a court on Friday that his personal experience of child abuse has deterred him from using violence.
Rocky Ling Yiu-chung, 52, also denied he had ever lived with his mainland-born daughter Suki Ling Yun-lam, even after his Shantou-native wife and other children settled with him in Hong Kong in 2012.
Testifying for the first time at the High Court, Ling was responding to allegations made by his co-defendant and now ex-wife Mandy Wong Wing-man, 42, who is on trial for neglecting Suki but had instead accused him and said he was the child’s primary carer when she testified last week.
She also claimed that Ling had assaulted and threatened her and her three other children when they quarrelled over money, so she followed his instructions to mislead investigations into Suki’s medical history and upbringing.
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But Ling said: “I had been assaulted by my father since I was a child … That is the reason why I did not want to use violence to solve problems.”