A Hong Kong police officer has been jailed for 16 months for extorting HK$60,000 (US$7,675) from a rape suspect he believed had been wrongly released by prosecutors.
The District Court on Tuesday condemned Constable Ng Wai-fung for taking the law into his own hands while investigating a rape complaint lodged by a 16-year-old girl between January and April 2024.
Defence lawyers said Ng, who pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office last month, was frustrated by the Department of Justice’s decision not to prosecute the 19-year-old suspect and felt compelled to pursue the matter himself to help the girl.
Ng sent a text message to the suspect on April 26, 2024, falsely claiming that the girl had demanded HK$60,000 in exchange for dropping the case.
He kept pressing the suspect for payment even after the latter went to a police station with his father on April 28 to file a complaint.
The constable was arrested the following morning and subsequently suspended.
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