Family of autistic man held by Hong Kong police plans to file complaint
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 13 May, 2015, 12:10pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 13 May, 2015, 6:32pm
Lai Ying-kit [email protected]
The autistic man was held for some 50 hours. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The brother of a 30-year-old autistic man who was wrongly accused of manslaughter said today that the man’s family appreciated the police’s expression of regret over the man’s treatment, but they still planned to file a complaint.
The man was arrested on May 2 on suspicion of killing a 73-year-old man in a basketball court in Mei Lam Estate, Sha Tin. Police laid a holding charge of manslaughter on May 4, but dropped it hours later because he had an alibi.
The force on Tuesday night issued a statement saying, “The force feels regretful. Police are very concerned about the difficulties faced by the person and his family now.”
The man’s brother, surnamed Au, said on Commercial Radio on Wednesday that the family was content with the expression of regret, “but some detailed issues, more than simply [the man’s] unhappy experience, have not been addressed yet”.
Au said he would go ahead with his plan to file a complaint with the Complaints Against Police Office, a unit within the police force, to demand a more detailed explanation from police on the way his brother was handled so roughly.
He said during detention, officers asked the autistic man misleading questions and he was also denied the medication he needed.
READ MORE: No apology as Hong Kong police express 'regret' over mistaken arrest of autistic man
Au said he hoped the police could improve their handling of people with mental disabilities in future.
Earlier yesterday, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council said the man was a member of its home for people with a mild intellectual disability.
A police statement showed the autistic man had confessed to pushing the victim. But according to his brother, Au often repeats what he has been asked and is not capable of handling police questioning by himself.
After being detained for some 50 hours, he was released on bail with a holding charge of manslaughter. But upon verifying that the man was staying with the Tuen Mun Institute at the time of the assault, police dropped the charge just before it was due to go before the court.
“When police were investigating this murder case, a serious crime, unpleasant experiences were brought to the person in question and his family during the truth-seeking process,” the police statement read.
The police's statement came hours after a social welfare group said it had in fact provided officers with details of the suspect’s activities, including CCTV footage, from the day of the alleged killing before the charges were laid.
A police commander also said yesterday that the force was carrying out an internal review of the man’s arrest, after his family criticised their handling of the case.
The review will include topics such as whether police should seek professional assistance when taking statements from people with mental disabilities, and how their medical needs should be catered to, said Nelson Lui Hon-kwok, the regional commander of New Territories South, on RTHK radio yesterday.
Police guidelines say statements should be taken from mentally incapacitated people in the company of a family member or guardian.
“On top of the existing arrangement, we will look into whether to seek assistance from professionals,” Lui said.
The family yesterday said they wanted an apology. "I thank Mr Lui for his best wishes," the mother of the 30-year-old autistic man said. "I want the police to carry out a sincere review, not to use this as an excuse to cover up their mistakes."
The murder case remains unsolved.
With additional reporting from Amy Nip
