Hong Kong mum convicted of wilful neglect of daughter, 6, after serious scalds inflicted by ex-police officer lover went without treatment for more than 2 months
- Judge tells woman, 33, it is ‘unbelievable’ that she had not sought treatment despite the child’s extensive injuries, which became infected
- Woman’s ex-policeman lover admitted scalding girl, causing skin to peel off her chest, stomach, arms and legs
A Hong Kong mother was on Tuesday convicted of wilful neglect of her six-year-old daughter for failure to get immediate treatment for an infected wound after her ex-police officer lover admitted he had scalded the girl in a bath.
Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi sitting in the District Court told the 33-year-old woman it was “unbelievable” that she had not taken her daughter to hospital for treatment, despite being able to see her injuries were extensive and with a large area of infection.
Chan dismissed a defence claim that the defendant “naively” believed the former policeman she was living with at the time had made calls to a doctor friend for advice and thought applying ointment to the wound and some medicine would be enough.
“How could a mother still not feel that the girl is suffering?” Chan asked.
He added that it was beyond common sense for her to attempt to shift the blame to her live-in partner at the time.
The ex-policeman earlier pleaded guilty to wilful neglect for causing unnecessary pain to the girl by showering her with water hot enough to scald. The incident happened in May 2020.
The court heard the girl suffered from fever a few days later and skin had peeled off on her chest, stomach, arms and legs.
A medical report revealed that the girl, now aged nine, did not get proper treatment until July 2020 when she was admitted to hospital after her injuries were discovered by a school social worker during a home visit.
Chan said the woman was not a credible and reliable witness because she had had the opportunity to get treatment for the girl, but decided to turn a blind eye to her serious injuries.
The woman said the ex-policeman, whom she had started to date in December 2019, was manipulative and controlling, to the extent she was afraid to leave their flat with her daughter.
But Chan said, whatever reasons the mother used for the neglect, they could “never be used to exonerate” her.
Chan adjourned sentencing on the pair until November 1 for a victim assessment report and a psychological report on the mother.
In a separate case, the former officer was sentenced to four years in jail for indecency offences after he was found guilty in the High Court last October of forcing his son to watch pornography and perform a lewd act on himself.
The court heard the offences happened over several years from 2016.
The ex-officer was sacked from the force in May 2020 after two incidents involving unauthorised absence.
