Hong Kong man cleared of childhood offences against sister

A Hong Kong court has found a 24-year-old man not guilty of committing a spate of sexual offences against his younger sister a decade ago, ruling that prosecutors failed to prove the defendant knew what he did as a teenager was seriously wrong.

A High Court jury of five men and two women acquitted the defendant on Thursday of four counts of incest and three of indecent conduct towards a child under 16.

The verdict came at the direction of the presiding judge, who concluded that the charges could not be legally established.

The man, identified in court only by his initials LHCN, was accused of committing grossly obscene acts against his younger sibling at the family’s home in Sha Tau Kok between September 2013 and July 2016.

He was 11 to 14 years old at the time of the alleged offences, while his sister, now 20, was between seven and 10.

Following his arrest in 2021, the defendant admitted engaging in sexual acts with his sister and expressed deep regret.

In a police interview, he insisted that he did not rape his sister, while claiming his elder brother had also committed obscene acts against her.