Man sentenced for sexual assault in hotel

A man has been sentenced to prison for sexual assault following an incident at a hotel in September 2023, according to a statement released by the Office of the President of the Court of Final Appeal earlier this week.

According to court records, the suspect, identified as A, met the victim, C, at a casino table in the hotel. They initially agreed to jointly gamble, contributing HKD10,000 each, but ultimately lost the combined amount.

Later that evening, C requested the return of her remaining HKD5,000 stake, but A refused and persuaded her to go to his hotel room.

Inside the room, A repeatedly made sexual advances. When C refused, he allegedly restrained her, removed her clothing, and sexually assaulted her.

C managed to escape and sought help from hotel security, who intervened. She sustained minor injuries, including bruises and scratches, requiring approximately two days to recover.

The case was brought before courts, where the initial judgment convicted A of rape under Article 157 of the Macau Penal Code. He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison and ordered to pay C MOP5,000 in property damages and MOP30,000 for non-pecuniary damages.

A appealed the sentence to the intermediate court, challenging the credibility of the evidence and seeking a reduced or suspended sentence. The Court of Second Instance upheld the lower court’s ruling. The case was then brought before the Court of Final Appeal.

The court found the previous rulings to be clear, objective, and logically supported. It concluded that A’s objections were unfounded and confirmed the earlier convictions and sentence.