An elderly woman accused of jabbing her finger in the face of a rural councillor was released unconditionally by police on Sunday after he dropped the charges.
The incident occurred hours after the so-called victim, Sheung Shui Rural Committee Chairman Hau Chi-keung, had been ordered to compensate 85-year-old Lau Oi-kiu for dumping waste on her land in Sheung Heung.
The two parties crossed paths on April 10, 2014, shortly after the Court of First Instance ordered Hau to compensate her to the tune of HKD1.4m for trying to force her from her land in 2009, the SCMP reports.
Hau called the police after the heated quarrel that ensued, claiming the elderly woman assaulted him by jabbing a finger into his face.
The rural leader decided to withdraw the charges on Sunday, however, insisting he doesn’t want to dispute to drag on.
He denied accusations that he bullied the old lady, saying: “How could I bully her? How’s that possible? Her sons are so muscular.”
Oooh, break us off a piece of them!
Hau Chi-keung and property agent Man Chun-shing were branded “contemptuous of the law” in the hearing in April last year.
The pair were said to have employed a “catch me if you dare” attitude, by continuing to dump on Lau’s land in an attempt to force her off, even after government interference.
“[The men] behaved in an utmost high-handed and outrageous manner,” Deputy Judge Paul Lam wrote during the hearing.
The judgement stated that Lau is not the registered owner of the land but had been farming there for more than 50 years.
Hau and Man both claimed to have rented or bought land near Lau’s fields, after which they began threatening her, she claimed.
Photo: Matthew via Flickr
