A 15-year-old democracy protester has decided not to press ahead with sexual assault charges against a police officer, after his hand allegedly came in contact with her chest during an attempt to push her away during Sunday morning scuffles in Mong Kok. The girl, who only gave her name as Crystal, said there was lack of evidence for intentional sexual assault to move forward with the case even if she wanted to. In her written statement to police she said she would drop the accusation of sexual assault she made earlier. His action may have been unintentional during the chaotic scuffles, she said. She was among the protesters who chased after a group of retreating police officers in the early hours of Sunday. One officer hit her on the chest around 2.30am. The moment was captured by television cameras. She was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital for a medical check-up. Police reacted by noting that the girl decided not to pursue the case. The initial investigation has found that the case involved no elements of criminal acts, police said. The case has been classified as a “miscellaneous incident”. As the 15 year-old was leaving Mongkok Police Station around 9.30am on Sunday morning in the company of her mother and a lawyer, she told the South China Morning Post that her mind hadn’t changed on what actually happened. "If I wasn’t sexually assaulted, I wouldn’t have cried so hard," she said. "I cried so hard when my close friends tried to comfort me I told them not to touch me." The girl, who has been camped at Mong Kok's protest site for all of the movement’s two weeks, said civil disobedience required making sacrifices and she was willing to let this one go. "I hope this sacrifice will help return us democracy in the future," she said. Crystal’s mother, who declined to be identified, said she had always worried about her daughter’s safety, but knew that the girl was campaigning for an important cause. "I always tell her to think for herself," she said. “If there was enough evidence, I would have definitely pushed forward with the case." Additional reporting by Phila Siu.
