A father of three, 27, pleaded guilty to child abuse and assault at Tuen Mun Magistracy yesterday after he was charged for carrying out a number of physical attacks on his friend’s 7-year-old daughter in April this year.
Surnamed Tam, the man was charged after he was said to have hit the girl with a feather duster and the tube of a vacuum cleaner while she was under his care at his home in Tin Shui Wai. He also purportedly locked her in a bathroom with two dogs, and “forced her to eat dog food”. When she refused, he allegedly “hung her upside down” in the kitchen, reports Oriental Daily.
The girl sustained injuries in her wrists and left leg. A social worker who became aware of the incidents contacted the police.
In court, Tam’s lawyer said that the defendant became angry after the girl was said to have trapped one of his own children’s finger in a door, while also behaving badly in general.
His lawyer also revealed that he once edited a book on fatherly love, which “shows he cares about children”.
As of press time, the magistrate is awaiting results of a doctor’s report detailing the girl’s injuries.
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