Toddlers abused on 91 occasions, police say, as more employees of Hong Kong child protection group arrested
- Another eight women taken into custody, taking the total number of people arrested to 14
- Investigations have identified at least 26 suspected victims, with the youngest aged only 22 months
Employees at one of Hong Kong’s leading child protection groups allegedly abused at least 26 toddlers on 91 occasions, police revealed on Saturday after reviewing additional security camera footage taken from the NGO’s Mong Kok premises.
As officers sift through the more than 40,000 hours of video, new suspects are emerging in the scandal that has rocked the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC).
Another eight staff members were taken into custody on Friday, and will appear in court on Monday, taking the total number of people arrested to 14.
About 40 staff are employed at the HKSPC’s Mong Kok premises.
The eight women, aged 24 to 63, will appear in court to answer their charge on Monday.
Officers from the Kowloon West regional crime unit identified the eight women after reviewing 13 per cent of the 46,000-hour footage from the centre’s 53 surveillance cameras.
The videos taken from inside the building span from mid-September to mid-December, while the footage from the facility’s outdoor area is from mid-November to mid-December.
Superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun said on Saturday investigations had so far uncovered at least 15 boys and 11 girls who were believed to have been abused, with the youngest aged only 22 months and the oldest at three years and eight months old. Some of the victims were from ethnic minority groups.
