Jury clears HK man of rape allegation involving Indonesian domestic helper

A 39-year-old restaurant manager, Wu Kwan-shing, was acquitted on Friday (Oct 24) of raping an Indonesian domestic helper he met through the livestreaming app Bigo Live. A High Court jury returned a 5–2 verdict of not guilty after a 10-day trial.

After two days of deliberation, the seven-member jury cleared Wu of one count of rape. Judge Martin Hui Siu-ting ordered his immediate release, and the emotional defendant broke down in tears as he left the dock.

The prosecution stated that Wu met a woman who was 28 at the time and working in Hong Kong as a domestic helper through Bigo Live in 2020. They met three times. During their second meeting, Wu expressed that he wanted to see her regularly, and she agreed. During their third meeting in November 2021, Wu invited her to a hotel in Causeway Bay.

The woman told the court she had agreed to rest at the hotel but had made it clear she did not want sex. However, Wu tried to hug her, and she pushed him away, warning him not to touch her.

Later, as she tried to leave, Wu allegedly stopped her, pinned her hands, and removed her pants despite her repeated cries of “no.” She said Wu ignored her resistance and that she cried during the incident.

Afterwards, Wu apologized, saying he saw her as his girlfriend. The two left separately, and she later reported the case to the police.

Wu admitted under police caution that he knew she was unwilling to have sex and expressed regret for his actions.