Former Hong Kong prison guard jailed for 3 years over attack on inmate

A former Hong Kong prison guard has been sentenced to three years in prison for a brutal assault on an inmate, which involved repeatedly thrusting a stick into the victim's rectum. Tam Lik-chung, an assistant officer at Pik Uk Correctional Institution, was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

District Court Judge Frankie Yiu ruled that Tam had ordered other inmates to participate in the December 2023 attack. The judge stated that Tam's judgment was "clouded by power," describing the assault as an abuse of authority that "severely" wounded the inmate. Fortunately, the victim made a full recovery.

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severely wounded the inmate, adding that it was fortunate the victim had made a full recovery.

Tam had instructed the injured inmate to lie about the cause of his injuries, claiming he had scratched himself with a pen after finding blood in his feces. Tam pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice in April. He admitted to the assault, which occurred at Pik Uk Prison in December 2023.

Two other inmates, Bosco Lee and Brian Lam, who assisted Tam, were found guilty of wounding charges and sentenced to six months in jail. Another inmate, Ho Lik-wun, pleaded guilty and received a four-month sentence. A second prison guard involved was acquitted of misconduct in public office. Considering Tam's guilty plea and the loss of his job, the judge imposed the three-year sentence.

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clouded by power