Hong Kong police charge mainland Chinese mother over abandoning 12-year-old son at hospital
- Mother, 37, was arrested on Saturday upon entering city from the mainland, according to police
- She allegedly left her son Chen Healton, a Hong Kong ID card holder, at Kwong Wah Hospital on July 21
Hong Kong police charged a mainland Chinese mother on Sunday with ill-treating or neglecting a child after her 12-year-old boy was found abandoned at a hospital earlier this month.
Police revealed the mother, 37, surnamed Chen, would be brought to Kowloon City Court on Monday to face her first hearing. The woman was arrested on Saturday upon entering the city from the mainland, the force said.
The boy, Chen Healton, a Hong Kong identity card holder, was found in Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on July 21, uninjured. He was sent to the Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home.
“The case worker will discuss with the boy’s mother for formulation of suitable recommendations on the welfare plans of the boy for the court’s consideration,” said a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department.
He added that the boy’s place of stay would be arranged in accordance with the court order until it ruled on the long-term plan for his welfare.
A police investigation earlier showed the mother and son had crossed the border via the high-speed railway on July 18 and checked into a guest house on Jordan Road in Yau Ma Tei. At 5am, she took him to the hospital and told staff he had a cough and diarrhoea. The boy told staff his mother left him alone in the ward.
