Bar security footage helps clear Hong Kong rugby player of molestation charge
The News
Hong Kong professional rugby player Faizal Solomona Penesa was acquitted of molestation after a magistrate ruled he accidentally touched a woman's buttocks. However, he admitted to common assault and criminal damage, and was fined HK$12,000. The case was decided based on security footage from a bar on Wyndham Street. The ruling highlights the importance of video evidence in such disputes.
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The Analysis
Intelligence Brief
Analyzed · High confidence (86%)
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The defendant was acquitted of molestation but convicted of common assault and criminal damage.
Security footage showed Solomona's hand on the complainant's waist at Bobby's Rabble on Wyndham Street.
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Key findings
Magistrate Gary Chu Man-hon ruled the athlete had touched her buttocks by accident.
Opinion- The defendant was acquitted of molestation but convicted of common assault and criminal damage.
- Magistrate Gary Chu Man-hon imposed fines totaling HK$12,000 (US$1,530).
Trust Breakdown
Plain English
Loaded language removedA Hong Kong professional rugby player has been acquitted of molesting a woman at a bar after a magistrate ruled the athlete had touched her buttocks by accident. But Faizal Solomona Penesa, 34, admitted a lesser offence of common assault and another charge of criminal damage, and was ordered by Magistrate Gary Chu Man-hon on Thursday to pay HK$12,000 (US$1,530) in fines.
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What's next
This angle has contested claims
Claims
Magistrate Gary Chu Man-hon ruled the athlete had touched her buttocks by accident.
OpinionFaizal Solomona Penesa was acquitted of molesting a woman at a bar.
South China Morning PostFaizal Solomona Penesa admitted common assault and criminal damage.
South China Morning PostFaizal Solomona Penesa was fined HK$12,000 (US$1,530) by the magistrate.
South China Morning PostSecurity footage showed Solomona's hand on the complainant's waist at Bobby's Rabble on Wyndham Street.
South China Morning Post