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One of the assaults happened near King George V Memorial Park on Jordan Road. Photo: Handout

Boy, 16, arrested over string of indecent assaults in Hong Kong

Police say three lone women were attacked in separate cases in Yau Ma Tei

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of indecently assaulting three women in Yau Ma Tei within 24 hours last month.

The Hong Kong identity card holder of Pakistani origin was picked up by officers in an ambush in a park on Saigon Street in the same district at about 7pm on Tuesday.

Police said the three cases happened in the early hours of February 19 and 20. They identified the suspect, who lived in the area, after poring over security camera footage.

In the first case at about 1.45am on February 19, a 27-year-old woman was assaulted by a man in a corridor inside a building on Man Ying Street. The suspect fled the scene shortly afterwards.

About 50 minutes later, a 25-year-old woman was molested by the same man at the junction of Temple Street and Bowring Street.

At about 1.35am on February 20, a 22-year-old woman was indecently assaulted by a man near King George V Memorial Park.

Investigators were searching for a man aged between 20 and 25 with a beard and short black hair. The man of medium build was about 1.7 metres tall and was wearing a grey hoodie and light-coloured trousers.

Chief Inspector Lam Chi-yuen of Yau Tsim district crime squad said the 16-year-old suspect, who came to the city from Pakistan in 2015, did not have an occupation or a criminal record.

Lam said: “Initial investigations showed the suspect struck in the early hours and targeted women who were alone. The man attacked the victims from behind before fleeing on foot.”

He said the boy was mentally stable and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he allegedly committed the offences.

Police did not think he was looking for another victim when he was arrested in the park.

Officers think there may be other victims and appealed to any to contact the Yau Tsim district crime squad on 36619238.

On February 17, a 16-year-old boy was arrested in Shun Tin Estate in Sau Mau Ping in connection with an indecent assault on an 11-year-old girl.

The Hongkonger was said to have targeted the girl in nearby Shun On Estate on the previous day shortly after she got off a minibus to return home.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Boy, 16, arrested over string of indecent assault cases
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