Hong Kong teacher will not be prosecuted over fabricated child abuse allegations at special needs school, given insufficient evidence
- Prosecutors decide to drop case against Tong Yat-man, who had accused her colleagues of abuse in anonymous letter she sent to parents using alias
- Despite ruling, Fanling Court declines her request to be reimbursed for legal costs, after finding she had incriminated herself through ‘very suspicious’ conduct
But Fanling Court on Monday declined Tong Yat-man’s request to be reimbursed for the legal costs of the proceedings, after finding she had incriminated herself through “very suspicious” conduct.
Tong made the allegations last year in the wake of a series of child abuse scandals at leading charity groups that shocked the city.
Magistrate Andy Cheng Lim-chi said Tong had no reason to make the allegations against her colleagues at the Hong Chi Pinehill No 2 School in Tai Po, which caters to pupils with mental disabilities.
Cheng said security footage of one alleged incident suggested teachers had physical contact with a student, but which only occurred as the educators were consoling the pupil.
Tong, despite her assertion she had hoped to secure justice for her students, must have expected her actions to stir up fear in parents and affect the operation of the school, he said.
“It is clear the defendant has infringed many people’s privacy. Her actions were also defamatory to the school. She has indeed drawn suspicion upon herself,” the magistrate ruled.
