Calls for Hong Kong anti-stalking law after man acquitted of following teen girl
Lawmakers and a government adviser have called for anti-stalking legislation to close a loophole that makes prosecuting repeated harassment difficult in Hong Kong, following the acquittal of a man who followed a teenage girl to her secondary school classroom. Some experts said the government should revisit a proposal for such legislation raised 26 years ago, after the magistrate who acquitted the…
Lawmakers and a government adviser are urging the introduction of anti-stalking legislation to address a loophole allowing for the acquittal of a man who followed a teenage girl to her school for years. The 57-year-old statistician was acquitted on August 25 of following the 16-year-old girl and loitering outside her classroom. Hong Kong only has a patchwork of laws to prosecute suspects, with doxxing seen as insufficient to punish cyberstalking.
The Law Reform Commission suggested introducing stalking legislation in 2000, but the proposal was put on hold in 2014 due to unfavourable conditions. Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a barrister and member of the Executive Council, suggested launching a new public consultation on the legislation, arguing that society has reached a consensus on the issue.
However, some experts remain skeptical, noting that enacting a proposal that has been shelved for years would be highly unlikely.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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