A Hong Kong man is accused of beating his ex-girlfriend — who was his subordinate at work — threatening to sue her into bankruptcy, and to leak her nude photos.
Cheng Ka-wai, 38, denied three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, four charges of criminal intimidation, and one charge of false imprisonment at District Court yesterday. He is alleged to have committed the offences between 2011 and 2014.
The 30-year-old victim, identified in court as X, worked as a personal trainer at the same gym as Cheng, who was her manager. They began dating and moved into a flat in Cheung Sha Wan together in 2007, Apple Daily reports.
In March 2011, X reportedly accused Cheng of infidelity, after which he allegedly slapped her four or five times before pushing her to the floor.
The next day, Cheng reportedly texted X a nude photo he had taken of her and threatened to leak it online “so she would be too ashamed to show her face”.
In August 2013, Cheng reportedly demanded that his girlfriend return HKD50,000 he had loaned her a few years ago to invest in stocks. He then allegedly punched her, causing injuries to her eye, nose and lips, and threatened to “sue her into bankruptcy” if she reported him to the police.
In April 2014, X reportedly accused Cheng of having an affair, for which he allegedly slapped her 50 times while choking her. X testified that he then punched her in the head, kicked her in the stomach and on the leg, and stepped on her pelvis.
X told the court that she wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment the next day until she promised not to call the police, after which Cheng’s sister allegedly followed her and made her sign a form saying she had injured herself by falling over.
The trial continues.
Got a tip? Send it to us at hongkong@coconuts.co
