Father who was facing trial for allegedly sexually assaulting daughter ‘told wife to leave Hong Kong with children’
- Man and four family members have been charged with perverting the course of justice
- Court shown video recordings of visits between them at detention centre where father was being held ahead of sexual assault trial
A man accused of perverting the course of justice when he was due to stand trial for sexually assaulting his daughter was recorded instructing his wife “not to come back” on the day she left Hong Kong with the children, a court heard.
Prosecutors on Friday played nine video clips seized from Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, which recorded conversations between the man and his wife, son, younger brother and parents during visits while he was remanded on charges of rape and indecent assault, following his daughter’s complaint filed in October 2017.
The High Court previously heard that the girl did not show up to testify against her father when his trial began in October 2018 and had changed her evidence when his trial was rescheduled in January 2019.
The judge in that trial subsequently ruled the father had no case to answer, directed the jury to acquit him of all charges and released him.
Don’t come back before I’m out, do you understand?
Now, five of the girl’s family members – her 44-year-old father, 42-year-old mother, 65-year-old paternal grandfather, 67-year-old paternal grandmother and 39-year-old uncle – stand accused of perverting the course of justice.
None of them can be identified due to a gag order aimed at protecting the identity of the girl, named only as X.