Off-duty police officer convicted of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl in a neighboring house

A 35-year-old off-duty police officer is convicted in July of sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl in a neighbor’s house last September under the pretext of checking the gas pipes.

Leung Kwai-fung, who was originally assigned to the Kowloon West District Emergency Department and Police Tactical Unit, had previously pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault. He was found guilty at Fanling Court on Thursday when he appeared before Judge Kelly Shui.

When handing down the verdict, Shui sharply criticized Leung for entering the girl’s house with malicious intent, pointing out that the consequences of breaking the law are more severe for police officers than for ordinary citizens.

Shui noted that the girl “X” specifically said in her statement that she had been sexually abused, suggesting that she was able to understand the nature of the incident.

The girl also clearly described what happened to her mother and remained calm during cross-examination, Shui said. The court considers both the mother and the daughter to be credible witnesses.

X had previously testified and said that Leung said to her: “I like that you are so chubby, can I touch you again?”

In previous court hearings, Leung said he was anxious and felt pressured as he was caring for his injured three-year-old son, but Shui denied that the medical report only showed that the child had suffered only a minor injury.

Shui also questioned why Leung was so concerned about the smell of gas in X’s house and kept walking around the hallway if he was actually worried about his injured son. The judge therefore found Leung’s testimony unreliable and found him guilty.

The court heard that on September 20, 2023, X was walking home from school but could not open the door and asked Leung for help. Leung then entered X’s house and claimed he smelled gas and suspected a leak.

X then accused Leung of touching her breast and genitals. X’s mother previously confirmed that she had turned off the stove at home before leaving.

Leung will be sentenced on July 5 until the court has obtained a background report on Leung and a trauma report on X.