Daughter of Hong Kong man accused of raping her kept silent as mum ‘also abused’

The daughter of an unemployed Hong Kong man who was accused of raping her 13 times over nine years has told a court she did not tell her mother about the attacks because the latter had herself been abused and could not protect her.

The High Court on Tuesday heard the testimony from the defendant’s daughter, now 26 years old, who accused her 58-year-old father of raping her numerous times between 2011 and 2019.

The earliest incident allegedly took place when the daughter was only 12 years old. She previously told the court that the assault only stopped after she went to university and moved out at age 20.

The defendant, whose identity is not disclosed in court, has denied 13 counts of rape and another count of indecent assault.

Questioned by defence counsel Ching Wan-fung, the witness said she stayed silent over the years and had never tried to report the assaults to her mother because she did not believe she could protect her.

“She herself was beaten up [by the defendant] and had bruises on her legs and arms, she did not even resist,” the daughter told the seven-member jury.