Hong Kong police superintendent accused of molesting colleague was like ‘tribal chief,’ court hears
Hong Kong Free Press
A Hong Kong police superintendent on trial for allegedly molesting a female colleague three times in a public toilet two years ago was a powerful figure akin to a “tribal chief,” a court has heard.
Luk Chun-chung, 43, is on trial in the District Court on three counts of indecent assault. His lawyer, barrister Francis Cheng, continued on Thursday to cross-examine the alleged victim, who requested anonymity and testified behind a screen, according to local media reports.
Luk, at the time the divisional commander of the border region of Sha Tau Kok, stands accused of molesting the policewoman at an after-work gathering in Luen Wo Hui Market and Cooked Food Centre in Fanling, on the evening of June 22, 2022, and the early hours the next day.
Prosecutors said Luk dragged the woman, who was drunk at the time, into a disabled toilet three times and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
Cheng questioned the woman’s previous testimony – that was resting on a table and had refused to go to the toilet ahead of the third and final assault. The court earlier saw CCTV footage that showed the woman, who appeared wobbly, being supported by Luk to the toilet.
Pressed to identify the frame that showed her refusal, the woman said in Cantonese: “I was just unwilling to go to the toilet at the time… the defendant was strong and I had drunk alcohol, and I was very unwell at the time.”
“If I was capable at that moment I would have called my boyfriend to pick me up. I wouldn’t have stayed there from 6 [pm] to 12 [midnight],” she added. Deputy District Judge Katherine Lo granted the witness a break as she began weeping.
‘Tribal chief’
As the trial resumed, Cheng asked why the woman would have stood up if she had refused to go to the toilet. She said she and male colleagues had immediately stood as Luk, a superior, got up from the table, adding that she had learned to react that way after a year in the police.
The defence lawyer questioned the witness about the details of her refusal, asking whether she had verbally refused in addition to waving the defendant away.
The woman said she had, adding that the defendant was a superintendent. “Do you know how much power he had?” she said.
“It could be said that he was a tribal chief, whereas I was just a speck of dust,” she said.
“I had tried my best to protect myself,” she said, adding that she was in a panic at the time and “it was not easy to tell others about what happened,” let alone report the incident to police.
Cheng asked why the woman did not leave the gathering. She said she felt unwell at the time while her colleagues had not showed signs of leaving, and the only thing she could have done was to rest on the table.
The defence lawyer also asked why the woman had not called her boyfriend for help. The woman said she did not want to tell her boyfriend at the time, adding she was disappointed that three male colleagues did not intervene as Luk took her to the disabled toilet three times.
‘Repetitive and outrageous’
Separately, Cheng grilled the witness about details of the alleged oral sex, asking why she had opened her mouth during the third assault. He suggested that the defendant would not have been able to put his penis in her mouth if the woman had “gritted her teeth.”
The woman said the defendant had pushed her head down and forced his penis into her mouth, adding that she was afraid she would be beaten by Luk.
“I would never have thought that someone close to you would assault you in this way,” she said, calling the alleged assault a “repetitive and outrageous act.”
She said she did not dare to resist and had been suffering for two years since the incident.
Luk is also accused of assault causing actual bodily harm, wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, common assault, and dangerous driving. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial continues.
| 💡If you are suffering from sexual or domestic violence, regardless of your age or gender, contact the police, Harmony House (click for details) and/or the Social Welfare Department on 28948896. Dial 999 in emergencies. |
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