By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-02 05:03:02 | Updated at 2024-10-02 08:14:26
3 hours ago
A Hong Kong taxi driver has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service for molesting a female tourist earlier this year, in a case which has cast a shadow over a sector that authorities have targeted for its poor service reputation.
Defendant Lui Kwan-ying was spared jail at Kowloon City Court on Wednesday at the recommendation of a probation officer, who found the 66-year-old showed remorse for the offence in what his lawyer described as a positive presentence assessment report.
Acting Principal Magistrate David Ko Wai-hung said he “reluctantly” took the officer’s advice, noting the cabby did not touch the victim’s sensitive parts and that the offence did not last long.
But he stressed the offence remained serious and that drivers should never make physical contact with passengers.
Lui, who is married with two adult children, pleaded guilty last month to a count of indecent assault for touching a Malaysian tourist’s thighs after she boarded his taxi in the early hours of May 30 this year.
