Hong Kong tutor cleared of sexually assaulting child who was deemed not credible

A Hong Kong court has cleared a private tutor of sexually assaulting his neighbour’s daughter after finding the complainant did not reveal the whole truth during the trial.

The District Court on Thursday also highlighted the child’s “extremely evasive and vague” evidence concerning the alleged incidents at her Kwai Chung flat in acquitting Wong Chak-pang of two counts of indecent assault.

The 32-year-old defendant stood accused of molesting the girl, now 13, on two unspecified dates between January 2017 and January 2022.

The trial heard Wong, who was living in the same building as the girl, had been invited to take care of her and her elder brother since 2017 after their mothers became friends. He would cook for the siblings, tidy up their flat and help them with homework.

The girl said Wong first assaulted her while she was bathing before she turned eight. She said the defendant molested her a second time inside her bedroom when she was between eight and nine years old.

Upon his arrest in April 2023, he admitted to touching the girl while playing together, but denied watching her in the bath or committing any obscene acts.