A Hong Kong taxi driver has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service for molesting a female tourist earlier this year, in a case which has cast a shadow over a sector that authorities have targeted for its reputation of poor service.
Defendant Lui Kwan-ying was spared jail at Kowloon City Court on Wednesday at the recommendation of a probation officer, who found the 66-year-old showed remorse for the offence in what his lawyer described as a positive presentence assessment report.
Acting Principal Magistrate David Ko Wai-hung said he “reluctantly” took the officer’s advice, noting the nature and duration of the touching.
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But he stressed the offence remained serious and that drivers should never make physical contact with passengers.
Lui, who is married and has two adult children, pleaded guilty last month to a count of indecent assault for touching a Malaysian tourist’s thighs after she boarded his taxi in the early hours of May 30 this year.
The court heard the driver with nearly two decades’ experience took advantage of the inebriated state of the woman who earlier spent the night at Knutsford Terrace, a pedestrian strip in Tsim Sha Tsui lined with international restaurants and bars.
In the middle of the drive to a Hung Hom hotel, Lui asked the victim to sit next to the driver’s seat, a request to which she obliged despite feeling uneasy.
The accused then touched the woman and asked whether she was willing to go to his residence. She took a picture of Lui’s taxi licence and asked hotel staff to call police.
The defence said in last month’s hearing that Lui committed the offence on impulse and was willing to pay HK$3,000 (US$386) to the tourist as compensation, but that offer was quickly retracted after the magistrate found it “insulting”.
The Transport Department received 1,006 serious complaints against taxi drivers last year, almost double the 574 in 2022 and much higher than the 464 in 2021.
More than a third of the complaints were related to taxis refusing to accept passengers, with another third centred on overcharging and the rest covering failure to take the fastest or easiest routes.
A demerit point system took effect last month to penalise drivers for 11 types of unprofessional conduct, including overcharging and refusing hires. Those who accumulate too many points within a certain time frame may face disqualification.
The government in July also approved five “premium taxi” fleet licences for companies deemed to have maintained track records of operating cab and coach services, with their services expected to be launched next summer.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Man, 40, arrested over alleged sex offence in Hong Kong hospital toilet
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