Hong Kong employer walks free after magistrate dismisses domestic helper assault charge
Maid alleged she was beaten after failing to clean windows in employer’s flat, but magistrate accused worker of exaggerating her claims
An employer accused of repeatedly beating her domestic helper – and reminding her she was still alive when the worker complained of the pain – walked free from court on Thursday.
Kwun Tong magistrate Debbie Ng Chung-yee acquitted Liu Xinhong, 44, after she found the helper, who claimed she was slapped with a thick book and punched, exaggerated her claims for “other motives”.
Criticising the credibility of the witness, the magistrate said: “As much as she descried how serious the assault was, the injuries did not reflect it at all.”
Liu originally pleaded not guilty to one count of common assault on Hindun Fitriah.
The helper testified on Thursday that the string of assaults began on July 6 this year when she was cleaning the windows at Liu’s flat in Tong Ming Court in Tseung Kwan O.
The helper claimed she turned to Liu’s three-year-old daughter in the middle of the task as the girl wanted to play.
But the dirty window angered the defendant, who then, the helper claimed, slapped her face, eyes and the back of her head. Liu also allegedly kicked the helper.
