A 40-year-old Hong Kong man was given a 12-month probation order on Monday two months after pleading guilty to abusing his eight-year-old son who was forced to walk on his knees on a Lam Tin street in January.
Magistrate Raymund Chow Chi-wei also ordered Lei to join parenting courses and psychological counseling sessions.
At 9pm on January 23, Lei Kuok-wang, a maintenance worker, was seen punishing his son outside Kai Tin Shopping Center in Lam Tin in Kowloon East, Am730 reported. He ordered the boy to walk on his knees for five minutes because of unsatisfactory academic results and misbehavior at school.
A resident took a video and uploaded it to the internet, while a passer-by called the police, who later arrested Lei.
Lei pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse in Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on March 13.
Citing a psychological report, Chow said on Monday that Lei was a responsible and caring father, but he used a wrong method to teach his son, Sing Tao Daily reported.
Chow said the chance that Lei would repeat the wrongdoing was small. He issued a probation order instead of a jail term, as the single father had to financially support his mother and family.
The maximum penalty for child abuse in Hong Kong is a three-year jail sentence.
