A Hong Kong court on Monday denied bail to an Indonesian woman facing a charge of child neglect after a toddler was discovered alone at a park earlier this year.
The case came to light when police received a report that the two-year-old was left alone at a playground on Sai Yee Street on June 28 and issued an appeal to find her family during the early hours of the next day.
The girl’s 31-year-old mother turned herself in about two hours after the appeal went out.
The mother, a suspected drug addict, said under police caution that she had left the girl in the care of an Indonesian friend, who was later arrested and found to have overstayed in the city.
The pair were each charged with one count of ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of a child or young person.
The Indonesian woman, who has only been identified as KH, was also charged with breaching her conditions of stay, as she was only allowed to remain in Hong Kong until November 29, 2023.
The mother, identified as TCK in court, was released on bail, while KH has been detained since her arrest.
Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei on Monday rejected KH’s bail application and adjourned the case to September 23 to allow the prosecution time to seek legal opinions.
TCK and KH have yet to enter their pleas.
