A former Hong Kong civil servant allegedly poured hot water on a Bangladeshi housemaid, causing burns to her chest, a district court in Hong Kong heard on Thursday.
Au Wai-chun, 61, pleaded not guilty to one count of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to Begum Roksana, reported South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based English daily.
The court heard that the alleged assault took place on September 30 in Au’s home at Bauhinia Garden in Tseung Kwan O. The assault came after an argument between Au and Roksana over a cup of hot water, which Au later allegedly splashed on Roksana.
Roksana told the court that she had worked long hours that day when Au asked for a cup of hot water. However, when she gave Au the water, Au said the water was not hot enough.
“She kept staring at me,” Roksana said, speaking through two interpreters who translated her statements from Bangla to English, then to Cantonese.
Roksana did not understand Cantonese and knew only limited English, the court heard.
Au then asked Roksana at least twice to test the water’s temperature by taking a sip from the cup, but Roksana refused to drink from it as Au had already drunk from the cup, as she told the court.
Au then allegedly pulled down Roksana’s t-shirt and poured the water on her chest, the maid said.
Au appeared in court in a wheelchair, wearing a neck brace and bandages wrapped around her wrists.
Medical reports cited by prosecutor Matthew Chong Chun-sang showed that when Roksana was admitted to the hospital, the reddened area on her chest accounted for about 2% of her body. She was diagnosed with first-to-second-degree burns on her chest.
The court also saw CCTV footage of Roksana in the lift, appearing to be in pain, as she left the scene after the incident. Judge Pang Chung-ping heard that Roksana had worked at three places, although her contract allowed her to work in only one place.
During cross-examination, defence counsel Judy Ma put to Roksana that she did not know her contract details well. When probed, she had difficulty recalling her employer’s name and the size of the flat she was supposed to work in.
She also said Au, whom she referred to as “Madam,” was not her employer according to the contract. She was employed by a person named Leung.