Crime | Teenager accused of rape

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has remanded a local teenage boy and referred him to the prosecution authority on the charge of rape, the department reported yesterday during a joint police press conference.
The suspected, surnamed Kong, is a 16-year-old secondary school student. The alleged victim is his ex-girlfriend, a secondary school student of around 15 years of age. Both the suspect and the victim are Macau residents.
On December 29, the alleged victim went to the PJ to report the case, accompanied by her father.
The victim reported that she was assaulted and raped by her ex-boyfriend, with whom she had been engaged in a romantic relationship since October.
According to the victim, not long after they started dating, she requested to end the relationship with the suspect. The suspect refused to break up.
On December 28 at approximately 9 p.m., the alleged victim arrived at the suspect’s house to collect some of her belongings. During the visit, an argument regarding the breakup began. The victim the alleges that at this point she was assaulted and raped.
The victim said that she spent the night at the suspect’s apartment because she was afraid of being hurt again if she tried to leave. As a result, she was only able to inform her father about the incident the following day.
After having received the reports, police investigators found the suspect at his apartment. The suspect admitted to the assault, including slapping and suffocating the girl but refused to cooperate with the investigation regarding the rape accusation.
Following investigation and the opinions of forensic pathologists, the PJ believes there is sufficient evidence of both the rape and the assault.
On December 30, the police authority forwarded the case to the prosecution authority.
According to Macau’s Criminal Code, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is 16 years old.
Juveniles aged 16 and above who are arrested on criminal charges are subjected to the full force of the criminal justice system, including imprisonment and penalty, in addition to other punishments.
Law No.2/2007 suggests that an underage offender aged between 12 and 16 years old can be sent to a correctional home depending on the severity of the committed crimes.
Last year, in March, a 16-year-old secondary school student was charged with rape against one of his female classmates.
The Court of First Instance found the boy was suspected of violating the article 157 of the Criminal Code, which recommends between three and 12 years’ imprisonment.
After the court carried out the first hearing on the case, and considering that the boy was charged with violent assault against the victim, the court issued mandatory pre-trial detention of the individual.
Recently, lawmaker Angela Leong has proposed that the age of criminal responsibility in Macau be lowered to 12 years old.
According to the lawmaker, “There is a generalization of juvenile criminality in Macau” that must be stopped through heavy penalties for the crimes perpetrated by youngsters, and reducing the age of accountability.

Man suspected of
handling stolen goods
The Judiciary Police (PJ) has apprehended a 34-year-old mainland man who is suspected of handling stolen goods.
During yesterday’s joint police press conference, the PJ reported the arrest.
The man is accused of a police-registered theft case dating back to 2019, when the PJ apprehended three teenagers who were accused of stealing phones at a basketball court near the Macau Tower.
The teenagers stole four phones at the location and sold the goods to the suspect, surnamed Cai, who was working at a telecommunications shop located near the Border Gate.
Upon his apprehension, Cai admitted to all the accusations. Cai said that he knew that the phones were stolen goods but still bought them from the teenagers for over 2,000 patacas.
After the purchase, Cai dismantled some of the phones. Upon capture he was found to still be in possession of all four phones, which he handed over to the police authority.