Student cleared of groping a woman at orientation

A University of Hong Kong (HKU) nursing student has been cleared of groping a first-year pupil during an orientation camp last year. The Fanling Magistrates' Courts on Monday acquitted Tang Ho-yin, 20, of indecent assault and common assault, two charges he previously pleaded not guilty to. The court had heard that Tang indecently assaulted a woman in an activity room at Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club Tai Tong Holiday Camp on August 20, 2023, and groped her again in a dormitory living room the next day. Handing down the verdict, magistrate Frances Leung said the witness of the first alleged incident, which happened during a game at the orientation camp, failed to identify the facial features of the perpetrator. The court was not reassured that the defendant was perpetrator, Leung added. On the common assault charge against Tang, the judge said the court accepted that the defendant's hand had moved up and down the alleged victim's arm while discussing sexual content. But Leung also noted the alleged victim had voluntarily extended her arm out to demonstrate an element of the discussion.