CLIFFORD LO CLIFFORD.LO@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 08 September, 2015, 2:23pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 08 September, 2015, 2:38pm
The girl is being treated at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung. Photo: Wikimedia
A seven-year-old malnourished girl who was found with injuries all over her body in a suspected child abuse case was in stable condition in a public hospital in Hong Kong, a government spokeswoman said today.
The girl, who is now receiving treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, weighed about 15kg and was 3kg to 8kg underweight for a typical girl of her age, according to police sources.
“She is very thin and weak but she does not need to be connected to an oxygen tube,” a police source said.
“She is in a conscious state but she doesn’t talk and needs to be spoon-fed.”
He said the girl suffered malnutrition and there were pressure ulcers all over her body and four limbs, with most found on her back. There were also bed sores on her back and buttocks.
“One of the reasons the girl suffered ulcers is that she stayed in bed for a long time and made no movement,” the source said.
Police said it was also possible the girl had wounds that developed into ulcers.
The source said the girl also suffered brain damage, likely sustained after a 10-minute cardiac resusciation when she was brought to hopsital unconscious on July 18. The girl's mother, who brought her to hospital that day, told medics she had slipped and fallen in the bath.
“Initial investigation indicated the girl did not receive proper care and treatment,” the police source said.
Police arrested the girl’s parents on Friday and older twin step-sisters yesterday on suspicion of ill treatment or neglect of a child. The mother, 40, and two sisters aged 15 were also arrested on suspicion of misleading police officers.
The four have been released on bail pending further investigation. None of them has been charged.
Another source said officers were collecting evidence and results of medical examinations before seeking legal advice from the Department of Justice.
The seven-year-old mainland China-born girl has a six-year-old brother who has not been implicated in the case.
It is understood that the boy and the twin sisters are now being taken care of by relatives while the Social Welfare Department seeks a care and protection order for the four siblings in court.
The seven-year-old girl lived with her parents and three siblings in a sub-divided flat in Tsuen Wan and went to a kindergarten after she came to Hong Kong from the mainland last November.
The parents are unemployed and the family lives on welfare money.
Investigation showed the child did not go to school in May, according to police.
The Social Welfare Department stepped in when suspicions were raised that the girl had been abused following her hospital visit in July. The case was referred to police last month.
Detectives from the New Territories South regional child protection unit are investigating.
This morning, Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim said he was very sad to hear about the case. The Social Welfare Department is also following up the case.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1856260/malnourished-hong-kong-girl-7-stable-condition-parents-and
