Hong Kong police arrest unemployed man over indecent assault of 12-year-old girl at park toilet
- The 56-year-old accused the girl of breaking a swing, then lured her to a toilet where he allegedly molested her, says police
- After poring over security camera footage, police track the man down in a guesthouse in Mong Kok
Hong Kong police have arrested a 56-year-old man on suspicion of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old girl, after accusing her of breaking a swing in a park and luring her to a public toilet for the disabled.
The unemployed man was nabbed when officers raided a guesthouse on Nathan Road in Mong Kok at about 11am on Wednesday. He was detained for indecent assault, an offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
According to police, the girl was playing in a park on Cherry Street in Tai Kok Tsui at the time the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon.
Hong Kong officer held over indecent assault of pregnant shop employee
“A man approached and accused her of breaking a swing. He asked the girl to follow him to go to the management office and explain what happened,” Inspector Tam Ka-ho of the Mong Kok criminal investigation unit said on Thursday.
She was then instructed to follow the man, but was taken to the park’s toilet for the disabled instead.
“The man locked the toilet and molested her arms and legs in the incident that lasted for a few minutes,” Tam said.
Detectives from Tam’s unit launched an investigation after receiving the report of indecent assault on Sunday.
After poring over security camera footage over the past few days, detectives managed to identify the route the man took to escape on and found where he was staying.
On Wednesday, officers raided the Nathan Road guesthouse and arrested him.
As of Thursday morning, the suspect was still being held for questioning and had not been charged.
Tam appealed to any other victims to come forward and contact officers at 3661 8716.
Teen held on suspicion of indecently assaulting 2 girls in Hong Kong
The offence of indecent assault, which covers various forms of molestation, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail under the Crimes Ordinance.
According to official statistics, police handled 143 reports of indecent assault across the city in the first three months of this year, down 15.9 per cent from 170 cases in the same period last year.
