Ex-lovers acquitted of all charges over alleged sexual abuse of woman’s daughter

Judge says he did not find complainant’s evidence sufficiently credible, convincing

- Selina Lum Senior Law Correspondent

A man and his former lover, who were on trial over the alleged sexual abuse of the woman’s daughter when the complainant was between 11 and 16 years old, were acquitted of all charges on Sept 30.

The 74-year-old man, who used to provide massages at a temple, was accused of sexually violating the girl under the guise of massaging her to “cure” her menstrual condition, and performing “ritual showers” to get rid of her “bad luck”.

The woman, 66, was accused of helping the man commit the offences, including holding down her daughter’s ankles.

The pair had contested the allegations in a trial that began in November 2021.

Delivering his verdict on Sept 30, High Court Judge Pang Khang Chau said he did not find the complainant’s evidence to be sufficiently credible and convincing.

He concluded that the prosecution’s case had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt and, thus, it would be unsafe to convict the pair of the charges against them.

The pair cannot be named under a gag order to protect the identity of the complainant, who is now 24 years old.

The man faced 15 charges for alleged offences committed between 2012 and 2017.

They comprised nine counts of sexual assault by penetration, two counts of outrage of modesty, three counts of sexual exploitation and one count of showing pornographic videos to a young person.

His former lover faced 13 charges, comprising 12 counts of conspiring with the man to commit the various sexual acts and one count of showing pornographic videos to a young person.