A Hong Kong magistrate has jailed a man for three months for indecently assaulting a South Korean tourist while she was live-streaming in a MTR station, saying the case damaged the city’s reputation.
Magistrate Ivy Chui on Thursday put defendant Amit behind bars after he pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault, local media reported. The 46-year-old waiter was said to have followed South Korean tourist “X” into the Central MTR station, where he pressed his body against her and touched her abdomen and the area near her chest.
According to local media citing case details revealed in the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts, the indecent assault, which took place at around midnight on September 11, was captured on a livestream by the victim, who had filmed herself travelling around the city between September 7 and 11.
On the night of the assault, X livestreamed her journey back to her hotel and filmed Amit approaching her at a tram station on Pedder Street in Central. The pair talked for around 10 minutes and Amit suggested sharing a taxi with X but was rejected.
The defendant was said to have put his hand on the left shoulder and right hand of X, who tried to shake Amit’s hands off. She later ran to the Central MTR station but Amit followed her and pushed her against a wall. X eventually escaped and called for help, while Amit ran off. He was arrested on September 13.
In mitigation, Amit’s lawyer said the defendant was a Hong Kong permanent resident with no criminal record. He was stressed and would often drink alcohol after work because he had not been able to arrange for his family – based in India – to come to the city, the defence told the court.
He was affected by alcohol during the time of the offence and felt ashamed after the livestream video was circulated online, the lawyer said.
City’s reputation
Chui said the case was serious as the victim had repeatedly rejected his advances and told the defendant not to hold onto her. But his actions escalated and the livestream footage showed that the victim was very scared.
The court must impose a deterrent sentence as the case also damaged Hong Kong’s reputation, the magistrate said, adding a jail sentence was “inevitable.”
Chui eventually sentenced Amit to three months in prison, after taking into account his guilty plea and his clear record.
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