Regional insurance boss jailed seven years for raping domestic helper

Wallis Wang

A 45-year-old insurance company regional director was imprisoned yesterday for seven years for raping his 40-year-old Indonesian domestic helper while he was drunk in 2021.

Chow Ka-wai, then a married man with two sons and a daughter, was last month convicted by a High Court jury of six men for one count of rape.

In sentencing, High Court Recorder Martin Hui Siu-ting said Chow violated the helper's trust in an employer, adding that he has to hand down a deterrent sentence as Chow had committed serious offense.

He said the case is a tragedy to Chow's family, especially for the three children, as he has divorced his wife and the children are being taken care of by Chow's 74-year-old mother.

But Chow has to bear the brunt of his mistake, Hui said.

"A mistake is all it takes," he said.

Hui rejected the defense's claim that Chow and the helper had an intimate relationship apart from the employment relationship, saying the helper did not want to have sex with him and Chow acted against her will.

He said the helper suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after the rape, feeling scared every day and finding it hard to control her emotions, with symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The helper works in Hong Kong as a migrant worker, who is financially dependent on her employer, making her vulnerable, he said.

The court has heard that Chow, an insurance director with an annual salary of HK$1 million, raped the helper on August 10, 2021, after drinking alcohol.

Chow touched her breasts and forced her to give him an oral sex. He then touched her private parts and raped her for 10 to 20 seconds without protection. The helper tried to fight back but failed.

She complained to Chow's wife the following day, saying she tried to stop the rape but in vain and that she could not stay in the flat anymore as she felt frightened.

The helper left Chow's home on the same day and called the police.

In mitigation, the defense said Chow committed the crime impulsively under the influence of alcohol and he did not use violence against the helper. Chow had not planned to commit the crime, which only happened once, it added.

The defense said the helper has found a new employer and is able to move on despite her psychological report saying she suffers from anxiety and depression.

All three children of Chow, aged six to 10, are being raised by his mother, who suffers from heart disease, the defense said, adding that Chow is charitable and has helped underprivileged children while appealing to the court to hand down a lenient sentence.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com