By Vir B. Lumicao
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The alleged rape happened in an unguarded building on Li Yuen Street West in Central
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A burly African asylum-seeker accused of raping a Filipina
domestic helper in Central in July appeared briefly in Eastern Court this morning, Sept 15, but
police asked for more time to investigate his case.
Defendant Obi Collins, 36, appeared before Magistrate So
Wai-tak, who reset the hearing for Nov 9 after the prosecution applied for an
eight-week adjournment for investigators to finish their work and to seek legal
advice.
The magistrate extended the defendant’s bail until the next
hearing.
Collins was arrested in Yuen Long by officers from the
Central Police Station on July 17 for the alleged rape of the domestic helper on
the fifth floor exit staircase of Fai Man Building on 13 Li Yuen Street
West.
The alleged victim, 38, who was reportedly grabbed by the
suspect as she left a friend’s birthday party in a pub on the unguarded
building in the Central alley.
The alleged rape was captured on video by an unknown person
and circulated freely online afterwards.
Collins was simply identified by the police as an African,
but the Chinese-language Oriental Daily reported that he was a national of Lesotho, a West
African state.
