Man arrested for trying to sexually assault stranger on the street

A man was arrested by the Public Security Police Force (PSP) on allegations of sexual harassment against a woman on Rua do Campo, the police department announced yesterday.
The suspect is a male in his 40s and a non-resident worker from the mainland. The victim is a female in her 20s.
The incident took place at about 6 p.m. on June 5 and was reported to police by the victim about one hour later.
According to the victim’s statement, at the time when the offence occurred, she was walking on the street. She spotted the suspect looking at her “with a strange face,” and was therefore on guard against the man.
Later, the man drew close to her and as they intersect each other, the man suddenly tried to touch her genital region. The woman reacted promptly and with her own hands blocked the assault. The police stressed that the man’s hand touched that of the woman.
The man immediately fled the scene.
The PSP quickly began an investigation and managed to visualise the man using the surveillance camera system.
The following morning, PSP officers came across a man who resembled the suspect on a street near the Portuguese Consulate-General, and intercepted him.
The man immediately confessed to the act. He said that he saw the victim walking on the street in short pants on June 5, and claimed that this triggered his intention to commit the offence and attempt to sexually assault the victim.
His case was referred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation.

PJ resolves taxi driver allegations

Last week, a taxi driver called a talk-back radio show to complain about being harassed by two passengers who claimed to be Judiciary Police (PJ) officers.
After the program aired, the PJ was alerted and promised to launch an investigation. The PJ has also asked the taxi driver to approach the police department in order to provide more information.
On the radio show, the taxi driver alleged that the two supposed officers harassed the driver during the trip, after the driver asked them to confirm the location of Rua de Formosa, the intended destination of the two passengers.
In response to the harassment, the driver said he would drive to the police station to ensure his own safety, but the two passengers claimed that they were PJ officers and could terminate the driver’s taxi permit.
The driver then drove to a police station where his two “police” passengers asked the officers on duty to impound the taxi. The taxi driver said the incident was handled at the side door of the station, rather than at the reporting center.
Following investigations, the PJ apprehended two local suspects: Fok, aged 39, and Chao, aged 37. Both men work in the gambling industry and have no connection with civil service professions.
They were intercepted separately by the PJ on June 9 in Cotai and Central, respectively.
Evidence was found that they harassed the taxi driver during their ride. Fok also admitted to pretending to be a PJ officer.
During the inquiry, they defended themselves against the allegations, saying that they were under the influence of alcohol when they committed the alleged crime.
The PJ found that the allegations were grounded and pressed charges against them. They were both referred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigations.
Meanwhile, two local men in their 30s have separately been apprehended by the PSP for drunk driving. Upon testing at the scene, one was found to have a blood alcohol reading of 1.48g/L , and the other 1.58g/L. The second suspect requested a review test at the government hospital, and the blood test returned a result of 1.7g/L.
The PJ has also received three separate reports of credit card abuse. The victims are aged between 31 and 50 years. They received text messages from their bankers, notifying them of transactions amounting to MOP3,200, MOP3,400 and MOP5,700.