Hong Kong doctor found guilty of sexually assaulting teenager in crowded train compartment after confessing he did it for ‘the thrill’
- Plain-clothes police officer who witnessed crime intercepted Sunny Li at Prince Edward station and saw his trousers were unzipped
- Accused, 30, claims police physically abused him, would not let him contact his parents and coerced him into confessing
A 30-year-old doctor has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenager in a train compartment in Hong Kong after he confessed to police that he had touched her with his genitals for sexual pleasure.
West Kowloon Court on Tuesday convicted Sunny Li Wing-hei of indecent assault after brushing aside his defence that he was coerced into admitting to the crime, which happened on a Central-bound MTR train on the evening of April 15, 2022.
The trial heard Li had taken advantage of the crowded compartment during that year’s Easter holidays to molest the 18-year-old victim by stroking her buttocks two to three times with his genitals.
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A plain-clothes police officer who witnessed the crime intercepted the defendant at Prince Edward station and saw his trousers were unzipped and his genitals exposed.
A quick body search revealed that the doctor, who was not wearing any underpants, had attached a vibrator to his genitals.
The accused told police under caution that he was under immense pressure at work and he had assaulted the teenager for “the thrill”. He also said he met a girlfriend online but seldom went on dates.
But Li told the court that he had made the incriminating statement under duress because he was subjected to physical abuse by officers and deprived of his rights to contact his parents. He maintained that officers had also made fun of his impotence during his remand in custody.
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Deputy Magistrate Vivian Wong Wing-man found the defendant’s assertions unreasonable. She pointed out that police had no way of knowing about his erectile dysfunction at the time of his arrest.
Li claimed that he had signed the police statement hoping he would be allowed to leave as soon as possible because he had work to do. However, Wong said the doctor could not have nonchalantly endorsed the document knowing the gravity of the allegation against him.
The magistrate ruled that the defendant’s contact with the 18-year-old could not have been a coincidence, nor was the touch caused by a vibrating smartphone, as the defence suggested.
In mitigation, defence counsel James Tze Ying-kuen said Li had contributed to the city’s effort in combating Covid-19 as he volunteered to work at a government-run quarantine centre during the pandemic.
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The court also received copies of the defendant’s scholarship certificates which the defence said highlighted his “exemplary” background.
Wong adjourned sentencing until May 5, pending a background report on Li and another assessing his suitability for a community service order.
“I must tell you that all sentencing options remain open, including custodial and non-custodial ones,” the magistrate told the accused.
Indecent assault is punishable by up to two years imprisonment when it is the only charge to be tried before a magistrate.
