- Construction worker, 29, has bail application rejected following new information heard in court
- Of the five cases for which he faces charges, one was suspected to have occurred in Chinese University, with the others in MTR stations
A Hong Kong construction worker charged with the indecent assault of five women has been remanded by a court after prosecutors revealed that there could be 13 other victims.
Magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han on Wednesday gave prosecutors eight more weeks to investigate complaints against Cheung Wai-hung, 29, and rejected his bail application.
The man has been charged with five counts of indecent assault, involving five women, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
The Eastern Court heard the alleged attacks spanned from September 24 last year to last Tuesday.
One case was suspected to have taken place in Chinese University, while two others allegedly occurred at the nearby University Station. The remaining two incidents were said to have happened at Mong Kok and Heng On MTR stations.
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Cheung also faced three counts of theft. He was accused of stealing the wallets of two of the five victims, as well as the identity card, Octopus card and two bank cards of a third woman.
These items were valued at HK$9,765, according to court documents.
The Ma On Shan resident was not required to enter a plea on his first court appearance.
The court heard investigators were looking into complaints made by 13 other women.
Prosecutors said they would conduct identity parades and review security camera footage during the adjournment.
They also revealed that among the 18 possible victims, two had already identified the defendant in line-ups, while the remaining 16 were awaiting arrangements.
Cheung is expected to return to court on March 3 to renew his bail application, before his case is transferred to Sha Tin Court on April 22.
Indecent assault carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment upon conviction in Hong Kong.
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