HKU virologist spared conviction for assaulting man and damaging his phone

A University of Hong Kong virologist, Vijaykrishna Dhanasekaran, has avoided a criminal conviction after admitting to assaulting a 56-year-old man and damaging his mobile phone at a railway station. Eastern Court on Friday issued a two-year bind-over order for the 48-year-old associate professor, who must also pay HK$800 in damages.

The incident occurred on August 17, 2025, inside a lift connecting to the Airport Express, following a brief dispute. Dhanasekaran, head of HKU’s pathogen evolution lab, was accused of knocking the victim’s Samsung Galaxy Note 20 to the ground and pushing him multiple times before kicking the phone out of the lift. Witnesses called the police, and the victim sustained injuries to his arm, knee, and hip while incurring repair costs for his damaged phone.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of assault causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage if Dhanasekaran accepted the bind-over order. Failing to maintain the peace could result in a HK$2,000 fine.