A banker accused of indecently assaulting a female subordinate has been acquitted after a Hong Kong magistrate expressed doubts about the woman’s testimony and questioned her agenda of pursuing legal action “at all costs”.
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Magistrate Minnie Wat Lai-man said on Tuesday that the court should give defendant Alan Lai King-lun, 54, the benefit of the doubt as the woman who accused him of molesting her on three separate occasions in Central and attacking her twice at work in 2023 was not a credible witness.
Lai, who was at the time a managing director of the transaction banking sales team at China Construction Bank (Asia) and the woman’s direct supervisor, was charged with three counts of indecent assault and two of common assault.
The Eastern Court magistrate ruled that although something seemed to have happened between Lai and his accuser, she did not find the woman’s evidence credible enough to believe the assaults had taken place.
“The court finds it unsafe to rely on her evidence … Why did she have to hide things related to this case? Why did she want to pursue an action at all costs?” Wat said.
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“Given the cumulative effect in [the woman’s] evidence … it had cast a serious doubt on the credibility of her.”