HONG KONG
The Star
HONG KONG (AP) - A former Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy in the 1970s in Hong Kong walked free Friday after a judge dropped the case, saying it would be impossible to have a fair trial over the decades-old matter.
Government prosecutor Steve Chui said the victim, now 42, was very disappointed with the ruling.
"He was very emotional and was crying,'' Chui said, adding that the Department of Justice will study the ruling before considering whether to appeal.
District Court Judge Patrick Li accepted the arguments by the lawyer of former Hong Kong priest Stanislaus Lee that the defendant could not get a fair trial because evidence had been destroyed, and potential witnesses had died or could not recall what happened.
Lee, 53, was accused of four counts of indecent assault for sexually abusing the boy in 1975-1977.
The judge granted the defense's request for a "permanent stay of proceedings'' to end the trial.
Posted by kshaw at December 24, 2004 08:20 AM