Illegal abortions carried out in small Hong Kong public housing flat, High Court hears
Woman who arranged abortions pleads guilty, will be sentenced in February
A small public rental housing flat in Lam Tin equipped with a makeshift wooden “operating table” placed on top of several office cabinets was used to perform abortions on women who paid HK$5,500 for the operation, the High Court heard on Thursday.
Lo Wun-yi, who pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to use an instrument with intent to procure a miscarriage, had been involved in as many as four abortions at the 300 square foot flat in Kwong Tin Estate since early 2014, the court heard.
The woman, now 65, is a registered Chinese medicine practitioner. She was arrested on September 16, 2014 as a result of a sting operation.
An undercover policewoman, who pretended she was pregnant, visited Lo’s practice at her home in a residential building in Lam Tin with another undercover officer on September 15, 2014, the court heard.
After suggesting that the “pregnant” woman have an abortion, Lo referred her to a “doctor” in Kwong Tin Estate and made an appointment for the undercover policewoman to have the operation the following night.
The undercover policewoman then put down a HK$500 deposit on the operation at Lo’s request. During the first visit, Lo did not conduct any physical examination on the policewoman.
On the following day, Lo took the two undercover policewomen to see a “Doctor Li” at a public housing flat in Kwong Tin Estate.
Upon entering the unit, the undercover policewomen saw an operating table in the living room. A number of surgical appliances were placed on a dressing table beside a toilet.
One of the undercover policewomen went to the toilet and rang colleagues, who had been lying in wait. They arrived at the flat and arrested Lo and Li.
The court heard that Lo, under caution, told police that she would receive HK$500 from her patients for arranging an abortion and obtain a separate kickback from Li ranging from HK$1,000 to HK$2,000.
Neither Lo nor Li kept records of those who had abortions.
Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai granted bail to Lo pending sentencing in February.
