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| Building where offense took place (Google Maps photo) |
Two Filipinos separately pleaded guilty at Eastern Court today to indecent assault and theft, respectively, but their sentencing was put off.
Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung ordered that J.J. Padua
and Z. Tuzon, both 24 years old, be
held in jail for the meantime.
Padua admitted that he committed the indecent assault, punishable
under section 122(10 of the Crimes Ordinance with up to 10 years’ imprisonment,
on “female X” last Christmas day in a flat on Wood St. in Wanchai.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Brief facts of the case read to the court indicated that he
met the woman in a Yau Ma Tei gym where he was a rock climbing coach, and they
had an “outing” on Christmas eve. They got drunk and ended up in the flat,
where he groped the woman’s private parts.
His lawyer, in mitigation, said what could have been a
romantic night became a foolish mistake for which Padua was remorseful and had
apologized to the woman.
Magistrate Cheung told him, “This is a serious offence. The
facts are also serious. You took advantage of the victim.”
But because of Padua’s age, Cheung ordered a probationary
report to give him sentencing options. He adjourned the case to Aug. 14.
In the other case, Tuzon pleaded guilty to stealing eight
packs of cigarettes from a newsstand outside the Wanchai MTR station last April
30.
However, he pleaded not guilty to stealing a “Xiaomi” surveillance camera from the same
newsstand, prompting Magistrate Cheung to set a one-day trial on Aug. 26.
He also scheduled Tuzon’s sentencng for that date.
