PhD student fined HK$5,000 for splashing semen onto woman’s buttocks on Hong Kong campus
Lai Changwei, 26, fined for indecent assault on 22-year-old woman after defence argues he was under enormous pressure at time of crime
A PhD student has been fined HK$5,000 (US$642) for splashing a liquid containing his semen onto a woman’s buttocks at a university in Hong Kong after blaming his actions on academic stress.
Lai Changwei, 26, appeared at West Kowloon Court for sentencing on Tuesday for indecently assaulting the 22-year-old woman at City University.
Magistrate Li Chi-ho handed down the penalty after noting Lai’s guilty plea and the fact that he did not have physical contact with the victim or “touch her sensitive parts”.
The defence said that both Lai’s probation officer and psychologist accepted his account of what had happened and they accepted his crime was related to stress and emotional management.
The defence had sought a fine, saying a prison sentence would deal “a huge blow” to him.
The defence earlier said Lai, married and living in neighbouring Shenzhen, was pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at the university on a full scholarship and was expected to graduate in one to two years’ time.