Magistrate laments constable’s ‘distorted sexual attitude towards women’
JASMINE.SIU@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Friday, 20 November, 2015, 3:57pm
UPDATED : Friday, 20 November, 2015, 4:22pm
Police constable Kong Ho-wan outside Eastern Court last week. Photo: David Wong
A week after his conviction for molesting a married mainland doctor on the pretext of a body search to investigate her alleged shoplifting, a police constable was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment by the Eastern Court
Magistrate Lee Siu-ho rejected claims of genuine remorse from Kong Ho-wan, 26, who had denied one count of indecent assault and another of misconduct in public office before a trial found him guilty.
Citing Kong’s mitigation letter, Lee noted that he had apologised to his family, the police force and his colleagues, but not the victim, “the very person who deserved an apology”, the judge said.
READ MORE: Hong Kong constable convicted of sex attack on mainland doctor in toilet at police HQ
Lee said Kong should have been familiar with the law and the proper ways of treating a suspect as he was a constable serving on Wan Chai’s district investigation team.
The judge said Kong abused his power and betrayed the trust and faith the victim placed in law enforcement, calling the crime premeditated against the victim.
Yet Lee noted: “[Kong] was certainly a competent and capable officer, a credit to the force, before the commission of these offences.”
“He had a promising career. It’s a pity he had this fall from grace.”
READ MORE: When you disrespect Hong Kong police, you don’t deserve to be treated gently by them
He also said it was unfortunate for Kong to hold “a distorted sexual attitude towards women” in his search for opportunities to satisfy his sexual desires.
“You tended to treat women as sex objects, and believed women were flirtatious and sexually passive,” Lee said.
According to Kong’s probation officer, his risk of reoffending was deemed “moderately high”.
An appeal against the conviction and sentence was lodged immediately, but Lee rejected Kong’s application for bail pending his appeal.
The court was previously told that Kong overheard the victim’s interviews at the police headquarters in Wan Chai and learned that she was to be released on bail pending investigation on alleged shoplifting on January 12.
He waited and followed her in quick steps after she left the building in the early hours of January 13.
From there he led her back to the building’s deserted female toilet on the pretext of a body search, and started touching various parts of her body, before demanding she take off her upper garment to expose her bra.
It was also said that he demanded that she remove her underpants to knee level and sit on the toilet bowl for him to look at her private parts, after he slipped his hand under her bra and touched her twice on both breasts.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1880847/you-tended-treat-women-sex-objects-hong-kong-cop-jailed-16
