Storeowner accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old

A 62-year-old toy store owner from a local shopping mall has been accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl when she visited his shop, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson has informed. The briefing came during the regular joint press conference of the Macau police forces.

According to the report, the case occurred on Wednesday last week (April 20), when the girl, in the company of her younger brother, visited the man’s shop in a shopping mall in the northern district.

The victim reported that on that day, when she and her brother were looking at toys in the store, the man approached her from behind and hugged her from the back, touching her chest.

At the time she said she was very scared and that her only reaction was to get her little brother and run out of the store.

On the following day when she returned to school, the girl mentioned the event to her school teacher who, following the notification protocol between schools and the PJ, informed the police force of the matter.

On the same day, a PJ investigator went to the store and apprehended the man. When questioned on the case, he confessed to the acts of which he was accused, justifying them as acting on a “sudden impulse.”

The case has been already referred to the Public Prosecutions Office for the formal charging of the man of the crime of sexual abuse of children.

According to the legal framework established by Article 166 of the Macau Penal Code, the suspect can face a penalty of imprisonment of between one and eight years.

According to statistics released by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) in the year 2020, a total of 24 cases filed with the police for this crime were recorded, involving a total of 30 victims.

The same statistics show that the number of reported cases of this crime has been growing exponentially in Macau over the past 20 years, when the number of registered cases was six.

Experts have pointed out on previous occasions that the significant growth in the number of cases reported, in comparison with the past, is likely to also be related to the improvement of the mechanism of reporting, and more general awareness of this type of crime.

They said that an increased awareness, especially concerning young students, has prompted the filing of a greater number reports of incidents, which in the past may have been concealed.