Hong Kong man accused of raping teen daughter jailed for 6½ years for perverting course of justice in trial lead-up and during hearing
- His wife was jailed for helping him take their daughter away days before the trial, while his brother and mother also received prison terms for their roles in incident
- Judge says the case is appalling and one of the rarest of its kind, with the girl’s family members ganging up on her and leaving her helpless and isolated
A Hong Kong man accused of raping his teenage daughter has been jailed for 6½ years for perverting the course of justice in the lead-up to his trial and during the hearing.
His wife was jailed for three years and nine months for helping him take their daughter away to mainland China just days before he was due to stand trial in October 2018, while his mother and brother were each jailed for four years and nine months for conspiring with him to unlawfully interfere with the girl’s evidence when she finally testified the following January.
Mr Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang said on Monday the case was appalling and one of the rarest of its kind, with four of the girl’s closest family members ganging up on her, leaving the then 15-year-old isolated and helpless.
The judge also slammed the four for having no regard for the law, noting the case was not the result of a momentary lapse of judgment but continuous planning, with the father as the mastermind.
Lee said he did not speculate whether the father had sexually assaulted his daughter, but considered the gravity of those allegations and the fact that the parent did whatever it took to secure his acquittal without showing remorse for his selfish and heinous behaviour.
As for the mother, Lee noted that she had the heart to protect the girl – she had accompanied her daughter to the police station and assisted in the arrest of her husband – but was easily influenced by the man into playing an indispensable role in the incident.