A man who allegedly abandoned his disabled son in Singapore about three years ago has been charged by Hong Kong police in a rare legal scenario.
The Hongkonger, who was 45 at the time and working in renovation, was said to have taken the deaf-mute boy, then 11, to Singapore, leaving him near the city state’s Marina Promenade on July 21, 2014.
On Thursday, during a report to a police station, the father was charged with wilfully abandoning a child under section 27 of the Offences against the Person Ordinance. He is due to appear in Kwun Tong Court on Tuesday.
Citing ongoing proceedings, a Department of Justice spokesman declined to comment on the case. Police were understood to have sought legal advice from the department on whether the father could or should be tried in Hong Kong.
As a rule, the spokesman said, legal help in criminal matters could be sought and rendered between Hong Kong and Singapore in accordance with their respective laws and mutual agreements.
The boy was found wandering by himself along the attraction hours after he arrived with his father. Two days later, the father flew back to Hong Kong alone.
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Singapore police issued a public appeal for help to find the boy’s family as he did not respond when they asked him for his personal details. After days of investigation, they sought help from Hong Kong police.
On July 25, 2014, officers arrested the man at his home in Ping Shek Estate, Choi Hung. He was later released on bail.
The unhurt boy was returned to Hong Kong weeks later on August 7.
Kowloon East regional crime unit was on the case.
Additional reporting by Chris Lau