Crime | Three cases of domestic violence recorded over the holiday period

Three domestic violence cases were handled by the Judiciary Police (PJ) over the Chinese New Year holidays, a PJ spokesperson informed yesterday at the regular joint police forces press conference.
According to the PJ, three new cases were recorded in the last few days involving both physical and psychological abuse among family members.
The most prominent case involves a 27-year-old grandson accused of causing bodily harm offenses to his 86-year-old grandmother.
The case occurred on February 9 around 11 p.m. when the grandson, which shares the same apartment with his parents as well as his grandparents, slapped his grandmother in the face allegedly because she was murmuring to herself and he could not find the peace to fall asleep.
The case was only revealed when the grandparents went to their younger son’s house for dinner and the grandmother revealed to her son that she had been hit by her grandson, resulting in the filing of a complaint with the PJ.
During the course of the investigation, the PJ also found that the same woman had received treatment at the hospital some three months earlier for some fractured ribs, and she has now also acknowledged that she was mistreated by the same grandson.
The suspect has been presented to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for the accusation of domestic violence on February 11.
In a separate case, a 58-year-old man, who works as a driver, has been also accused under the provisions of the same law, of hitting his nine-year-old son who suffers from a mental disability.
The man has justified the accusations of hitting his son on several occasions with “loss of control” due to severe stress caused by difficulties in life, relating to both work-related problems, and the inability to deal with his son’s severe mental illness.
In the third case, a man is accused of mistreating his wife over undisclosed family disputes.

33-year-old commits suicide at home, no apparent reason

A 33-year-old male local resident has allegedly hanged himself at his home. The man’s body was found by his wife who alerted the authorities.
In the PJ’s preliminary inspection no signs of confrontation or injuries that could indicate the suspicion of a crime were found. The PJ also said that the deceased did not leave any suicide note. Upon questioning, the wife of the deceased told the police that she did not have any potential explanation for her husband’s suicide.
The PJ also found out that the man was dedicated to the so-called “bate-ficha” business, which is based on selling customers casino “dead chips” that cannot be exchanged for cash in the casinos but only by bate-ficha, who are officially known as gaming promoters and work on a commission. The activity lies in a gray area in the laws of Macau and although the practice is monitored by the local police, it often finds links with the underground criminal world of the gaming industry including triads operations and loan sharks. The Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) encourages residents to be aware of their psychological and emotional state as well as that of their relatives and friends. In case of need, residents can call Caritas’ Life Hope hotline (28525222) or IAS’ counseling hotline (28261126).