A Hong Kong couple have been spared a criminal conviction for storm chasing with their children during Super Typhoon Ragasa last year after prosecutors agreed to settle the case with a bind-over order.
The couple were bound over at Eastern Court on Tuesday for three years in the sum of HK$2,000 (US$255) on a joint charge of ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of a child or young person.
The couple will be fined HK$2,000 if they fail to maintain good behaviour and keep the peace during the bind-over period and can face heavier punishment for any further child abuse offences.
Advertisement
The 40-year-old father, surnamed Yen, and 38-year-old mother, surnamed Li, were arrested early this year after taking their children to a breakwater at Chai Wan’s Ka Yip Street to watch the waves as Ragasa swept across the city on September 23, 2025.
The Hong Kong Observatory raised the No 10 typhoon warning signal at 2.20pm that day and warned residents to stay away from coastal areas.
Advertisement
A three-metre-tall (10-foot) wave swept the woman and her five-year-old son into the sea just as the family of four were about to leave at 3.10pm. The father jumped in to try to rescue them.
The unconscious mother and son were eventually rescued by a nearby boatman and received treatment at the intensive care unit of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan.