Hong Kong child abuse scandal: ex-carer jailed for nearly 8½ months, marking heaviest sentence to date in case linked to charity group
- Fu Yuet-long, 25, admits to subjecting eight toddlers in Children’s Residential Home to physical punishment
- Footage shows worker assaulting children by pushing them, slapping their faces and pinching their cheeks
A 25-year-old woman has received nearly 8½ months in jail for assaulting eight toddlers at a home run by a leading charity group, marking the heaviest sentence to date imposed in one of Hong Kong’s worst child abuse scandals in recent years.
Former childcare worker Fu Yuet-long was escorted to Kowloon City Court on Friday to be sanctioned on eight counts of ill-treatment or neglect she had committed on November 29 and 30 last year.
In a previous court session earlier this month, Fu admitted she had subjected the eight toddlers in the Children’s Residential Home, a facility in Mong Kok run by the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, to physical punishment for either trying to climb out of their respective cots, or standing on their mattresses.
Security footage showed the worker assaulting the victims by pushing them down, slapping their faces and pinching their cheeks. The defendant was seen behaving even more aggressively at times by punching the toddlers, pulling their limbs and shaking their heads.
Police identified four one-year-old boys attacked by the 25-year-old after the scandal at the residential home came to light in December last year. The identities of the four remaining toddlers are unknown.
Fu had blamed the facility’s shortage of workers, adding she had been taught by other senior colleagues at the home to take a hardline approach in disciplining children to make them obey and feel afraid.
Passing sentence on Friday, acting principal magistrate Peony Wong Nga-yan said Fu was clearly trying to pass the buck for her lack of professionalism.
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Wong said she found no reasons for Fu to penalise the children over behaviour that was normal for their ages, other than gentle means. She added the defendant was ill-tempered and displayed a complete disregard for the law and the impact of her actions on the youngster’s mental well-being.
“If the defendant cannot handle the situation in ways other than resorting to violence, the level of her professionalism and conduct renders her unfit to take up jobs involving supervision of young children,” Wong said.
The magistrate sentenced Fu to jail for between six weeks and four months for each charge, for a total of four months and 19 weeks, equivalent to nearly 8½ months.
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Fu was among 34 people charged for a total of 407 assault allegations at the children’s home.
Three former carers have already been jailed for four to seven months after they pleaded guilty to assault charges. One is awaiting sentence and five others will stand trial at the magistrate’s court.
Another 24 people will appear in the District Court, where they face up to seven years in jail if convicted.
Ill-treatment or neglect of a child is punishable by up to three years in jail when the case is heard by a magistrate.
