HONG KONG — A Hong Kong police constable faces incarceration after being found guilty of forgery and serious misconduct in public office for prematurely closing 10 criminal investigations, thereby denying victims the chance to recover financial losses. Acting Judge Wong Kwok-fai of the District Court delivered the verdict on Tuesday, concluding that Constable Wong Yiu-chung, 32, intentionally fabricated “no further action” statements, falsely informing supervisors that complainants had withdrawn their cases. Sentencing is delayed until December 31 while the court considers background reports.
The conviction stems from actions taken between November 2022 and July 2023. Wong, an investigating officer, was found to have created a false witness statement for one theft case and dishonestly misled superiors into closing nine other cases, including reports of theft and phone scams. In one instance involving the forgery charge, the purported witness, a woman named Chow Ka-man, testified that the Chinese signature on the waiver was not hers, as she consistently signs documents in English.
Deception and Abuse of Authority Detailed
The court emphasized the severity of the misconduct, noting that the constable deprived ordinary citizens—including a construction worker, a housewife, a Pakistani man, and an octogenarian—of their right to justice. Victims reported losses ranging from several hundred dollars to a significant HK$260,000.
Judge Wong substantiated the reliability of all 10 complainants’ testimonies, noting the inherent improbability of victims willingly abandoning high-value cases shortly after reporting them. For instance, one victim who lost HK$260,000 was allegedly cited as withdrawing the complaint just 18 days after the report was filed. The evidence suggested that Constable Wong either misled vulnerable complainants—some of whom did not read Chinese—into signing blank pages or outright forged signatures to create fabricated statement packets.
The court highlighted Wong’s unique position as the sole investigating officer responsible for evidence collection and witness liaison. This allowed him to retrieve closed case files and withhold closure letters, preventing complainants from receiving notification and challenging the decision; seven complainants confirmed they never received official correspondence regarding the closure. The judge concluded that the officer essentially caused the cases to “sink without trace.”
Mitigating Factors Considered
In mitigation, the defense argued that Wong did not act for personal financial gain but succumbed to the pressure of an overwhelming workload, handling approximately 80 files concurrently. The defense also cited the constable’s battle with thyroid cancer, which required two surgeries and ongoing radioactive iodine therapy, pleading for leniency due to health concerns and a potentially ruined career. They noted his earlier commendation in the 2019 “Operation Tiderider.”
However, Judge Wong maintained that the deliberate closure of cases without victims’ knowledge constituted an egregious abuse of public trust. The judge stated that, given the gravity of the offense, immediate imprisonment was the provisional intention, underscoring that the misconduct severely undermined the integrity of the police force and the system of criminal justice.
The constable remains in custody pending the December 31 sentencing, where the court will weigh the officer’s health issues and purported remorse against the profound impact his actions had on vulnerable victims seeking recourse for their losses.