Taoist monk molested mother and her 15-year-old daughter to ‘purge them of evil spirits’, Hong Kong court hears
- District Court hears Yuen Ming-kuen told women he had special healing powers to negotiate with spirits which included touching their breasts and genitals
- Deputy district judge Terence Wai slammed ‘ridiculous stories’ and convicted Yuen of six counts of indecent assault and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm
A self-proclaimed Taoist monk in Hong Kong molested a mother and her daughter to exorcise evil spirits, a court was told on Friday.
Yuen Ming-kuen, 57, told the women he had special healing powers to negotiate with spirits and purge them through religious rituals that included touching their breasts and genitals.
Security guard Yuen also struck the mother’s head repeatedly during what he called a “fight with evil spirits possessing the woman”, the District Court heard.
The man claimed he had learned such methods from an arhat – a person who has reached nirvana – in his dreams.
But deputy district judge Terence Wai found these to be “ridiculous stories” and convicted Yuen of six counts of indecent assault and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
“The defendant was a dishonest man,” Wai said. “His acts were all part of a scam.”