Hong Kong police officer jailed for forging statements to close 10 cases
According to probation officer’s report, Wong Yiu-chung failed to manage stress at work, driving him to forge statements from complainants
A Hong Kong police officer was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday for unlawfully terminating 10 criminal investigations by forging statements of complainants agreeing to withdraw their cases.
According to a probation officer’s report, Detective Constable Wong Yiu-chung, 34, had failed to manage stress at work, which drove him to forge statements and dishonestly obtain his supervisors’ approval to close cases between November 2022 and July 2023.
The District Court heard that Wong was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in September this year.
Wong’s lawyer said in mitigation that his client had made a “stupid mistake”, in the hope of avoiding responsibility at work.
The defendant was attached to Sham Shui Po police district’s criminal investigation department. He served on the force for 11 years before his suspension in August 2023.
The former constable first fabricated a statement in November 2022 because the complainant, a fraud victim, no longer wished to pursue the case.
But the defendant did not follow the standard procedure for closing cases, failing to verify the witness’s intention in person or send her a confirmation letter afterwards.