Local man accused of beating Pinay partner fails in bind-over bid

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Eastern Court magistrate told Lau the charges against him are serious

A 41-year-old Chinese man who is facing two counts of falsely imprisoning and a charge of assaulting his Filipino partner failed in his bid to get a bind-over order from Eastern Court today, Feb 17.

A bind-over order is not a penalty, but is a preventive measure where the accused agrees to be “bound over” for a specified sum to be on good behavior over a certain period.

 Lau Yan-ting faced the third charge of assault when he appeared before Magistrate Bina Chainrai. He was previously charged with two counts of illegally detaining his partner J. Almenario, a former domestic worker.

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The charge sheet says Lau unlawfully detained Almenario on Jan 2 and Jan 3 in a flat they occupied at Wah Fu Estate, Southern District. But the woman was able to flee and sought assistance from the Consulate, which helped her file a complaint with the police.

Lau was then arrested, before being released on $50,000 bail.

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His lawyer told the magistrate he was trying to work out a bindover deal with the prosecution before Lau would enter his plea.

But this did not sit well with the magistrate. “His offense is serious and you are asking for a bindover? No, the court won’t allow that,” Chainrai said.

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The lawyer then requested a six-week adjournment, saying he needed to study the case more and get legal advice.

Chainrai initially questioned the lengthy adjournment, before setting the next hearing for Mar 31. Lau’s bail was extended until then.

Villegas denied charges of neglecting her ward when she appeared in Kowloon court

Meanwhile, a Filipina helper is set to stand trial in Kowloon City Court in May after pleading not guilty to three counts of ill-treatment or neglect of her then three-year-old ward.

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C. Villegas was represented by a lawyer when she entered her plea before Magistrate Ada Yim on Feb 16. The case was adjourned previously because the defendant was unrepresented.

Villegas is accused of hitting her ward in her employer’s house in Kowloon Tong on Oct 14, 2019. She allegedly repeated the offence twice, once on Jan 21, and again on Feb 9 last year.

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Magistrate Yim set the trial for May 17 and 18. In the meantime, she extended the bail of Villegas, who is being helped by the Mission for Migrant Workers.

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