Doctor held after 'sneaking' into school in girls' uniform

Eunice Lam

A 36-year-old male doctor who allegedly sneaked into a Cheung Sha Wan secondary school during lunchtime while dressed as a female student was arrested in a Yuen Long car park for loitering.

Sources said the local private dermatologist, Liu, was arrested Monday night, hours after he sneaked into the Buddhist Tai Hung College in Cheung Sha Wan.

Police are investigating Liu's motive and officers have not found any candid photos of students at the school.

A search of Liu's car revealed school uniforms from five secondary schools, including the uniform he was wearing Monday, as well as leather shoes and wigs.

He was at the Buddhist Tai Hung College for two minutes before fleeing after teaching staff spotted him.

The school then called the police and officers searched toilets, changing rooms and classrooms but found nothing suspicious, said inspector Wong Yuen-yan.

Police give special attention to cases that would cause concern to students, parents and teachers, Wong said. "At the same time, police are also calling on schools to regularly review their security measures on campus."

No charge has yet been laid against Liu.

The school, which has activated its crisis management team following the breach, has already informed the Education Bureau of the incident.

It is understood that Liu's case is not related to another case last month, in which a 30-year-old clerk, Cheung Chun-hong, was arrested after he allegedly cross-dressed as a female student and sneaked into a restroom of Good Hope School in Ngau Chi Wan.

Officers later found 16 girls' school uniforms, female clothes, underwear, wigs and cosmetics at Cheung's home in Tseung Kwan O and a flat in an industrial building in San Po Kong.

Cheung appeared at Shatin Magistrates' Courts on October 23 to face one count of voyeurism. He was remanded in jail until December 27.

The founding president of the Hong Kong Mental Wellness Association, psychiatrist May Lam Mei-ling, told The Standard that the alleged offenders may have committed the crime out of a strong and intense desire for sexual gratification from cross-dressing, voyeurism, sneaking photos or collecting female clothes, and these may be indicative of psychiatric issues that require further assessment.

"For normal people, even if they sexually harass others, they are less likely to wear women's clothes, as it seems so obvious and could be easily caught at first glance," Lam said. "People who could obtain sexual arousal by activities such as cross-dressing or exposing their naked bodies normally fear to be discovered, but they may commit a crime on impulse and neglect the risks of being caught."