‘He said he was helping me’: Indonesian domestic helper accuses employer’s father-in-law of groping under the guise of improving her body odour
- Said 76-year-old retiree massaged her breasts on six occasions
- Defendant has denied all six charges of indecent assault
An Indonesian domestic helper on Tuesday accused her Hong Kong employer’s father-in-law of indecent assault for groping her on six occasions under the guise of improving her body odour, a court heard.
The 26-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said retiree Lie Hen-fang, 76, massaged her breasts for 15 to 30 minutes on each occasion over five days after presenting her with deodorant to address his family’s alleged complaints about her personal hygiene.
“He said my breasts were soft so I would sweat more easily,” she told a court from behind a screen and through an interpreter. “[He said] if he does this, it would make my breasts more firm and less likely to sweat.”
When asked why she did not refuse the massages, she said: “Because I’m afraid he might send me back to Indonesia.”
The helper, who is married, said she could not afford to lose her job because she has a family to support in Indonesia and debts to repay to her employment agency.
Lie denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to all six counts of indecent assault.
West Kowloon Court heard the helper came to Hong Kong for the first time in 2017 after she was hired by Lie’s daughter-in-law to care for her family at a Mei Foo Sun Chuen flat in Lai Chi Kok.
Her job was to care for the employer, her husband and two children.
She was asked to clean Lie’s home while the family was travelling in June 2017.
On June 16, the helper said Lie bought her a bottle of Rexona deodorant because he said his children had complained.
While she was on her way to apply the deodorant in the bathroom, she said Lie intercepted her and led her into his piano room.
She said he asked her to take off her clothes and jump 20 times. He then checked her armpits and the underside of her breasts to see if she was sweating.
She accused him of using both hands to pinch her nipples and to massage her breasts for 30 minutes.
“He said he was helping me,” she said.
Another groping occurred the same night, she said, and again every day for the next four days.
Her testimony continues on Wednesday before Magistrate Edward Wong Ching-yu.