Leniency shown to Hong Kong immigration worker who repeatedly assaulted wife and son

he senior Immigration Department assistant, was granted a one-year probation order at Kowloon City Court heard on Wednesday.

Photo: Sun Yeung A Hong Kong court has granted further leniency to a senior Immigration Department assistant, placing him on a one-year probation order after he was convicted of repeatedly choking his wife and young son during domestic disputes.

Kowloon City Court heard on Wednesday that the 49-year-old defendant, identified as “ATK”, preferred probation to community service because he would lose his job and the substantial pension accumulated more than 30 years in the disciplined services.

He earlier admitted to assaulting his 39-year-old wife on three occasions between 2021 and 2024, and his five-year-old son on three occasions between 2023 and 2025.

When sentencing earlier this month, Magistrate Arthur Lam Hei-wei said probation would not adequately reflect the seriousness of the offences, noting that the violence had taken place repeatedly over an extended period.

Lam at that time ordered the defendant to perform 200 hours community service.

However, at Wednesday’s review hearing, Lam reconsidered his decision after reviewing the probation officers’ reports, which gave the defendant a positive comment and recommended a supervision order as a suitable sentence.

Defence counsel told the court that ATK’s supervisor had warned him he would almost certainly lose his job if he had to perform community service.

The lawyer argued that if his client lost his job, his wife and child – who currently live in disciplined services quarters – would be required to relocate.

The loss of income, he added, would also affect the maintenance and child support payments following the couple’s divorce proceedings.

Pleading for leniency, the lawyer urged the court to impose probation and allow ATK to keep his job, saying, “the sentence should not be a boomerang and cause the victims secondary damage”.

Before receiving the probation officer’s reports, the magistrate had said he was initially considering a custodial sentence.

ATK pleaded guilty to six counts of common assault, changing his plea just before his trial began.

He had earlier reached a plea deal with prosecutors, who originally charged him with both child abuse and common assault.

After a short adjournment to consider the sentence, Lam said: “After further consideration, there are grounds for me to show leniency to the defendant.” Lam said he had reconsidered the impact a communit

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