Hong Kong father jailed for 22 years for decade-long sexual abuse of daughter

A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to 22 years in jail after he repeatedly raped his daughter over a period of 10 years, starting when the victim was only 14.

Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court Eric Kwok jailed the man, identified as Y.S., on Tuesday, The Witness reported.

The High Court. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Kwok said in court that the offender treated his daughter like a “sex toy” and showed no genuine remorse following prosecution, adding that the victim endured a living hell during the decade of persistent sexual abuse.

The recorder said the case was “one of the worst” rape cases in Hong Kong.

After remissions, the offender will serve about 15 years behind bars, though it will not offset the pain endured by the victim, Kwok said.

Y.S., who said he was a construction worker, stood accused of raping his daughter 14 times at their homes in Hong Kong and Shenzhen between 2014 and 2024.

He slapped his daughter when she fought back and, on one occasion, he raped her even when she had a fever. He also ordered his daughter to take contraceptive pills, the court has heard.

The victim reported her experiences to the police in April 2024 after another instance of rape.

Y.S. pleaded guilty in late July to 14 counts of rape and one count of buggery without consent, Ming Pao reported.

File Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The recorder said the offender had not genuinely reflected on what he did to his daughter. He chose to plead guilty only when he knew he would be convicted, Kwok said.

Calls for new offences

Under Hong Kong’s current legal system, there is no offence covering the ordeal of long-term sexual child abuse. Whether dealing with rape or a chain of indecent assaults, any prosecution must focus on specific incidents.

This requires the victim to remember the precise date and venue of the incident, as well as the exact conduct of the defendant, making it difficult and painful for people who suffered sexual abuse in childhood, HKFP reported in June.

Victims of sexual abuse and NGOs serving sexual abuse survivors have been calling for the establishment of a new offence to cover persistent child sexual abuse.

See also: Hong Kong moves to reform its archaic sex laws, but victims of prolonged child sexual abuse feel left out

Earlier in June, the government proposed a revamp of sex crime legislation to overhaul the city’s long outdated sexual laws.

However, the reforms do not include plans to introduce a new offence of long-term child sexual abuse.