The eldest daughter of tycoon Stanley Ho was released on a good behaviour bond without a criminal record yesterday for assaulting a three-year-old boy at a buffet in a five-star hotel in Wan Chai in July.
Jane Ho Chiu-ying, 60, appeared in Eastern Court, where she was charged with common assault.
The tycoon's eldest daughter from his late first wife, Clementina Angela Leitao Ho, admitted stepping on the boy's left foot because she was 'very upset' after he bumped into her, causing her to fall and drop her food.
Principal magistrate Garry Tallentire granted her the HK$2,500 bond for two years after considering exceptional circumstances. Government psychiatric reports said Ms Ho suffered from schizophrenia which contributed significantly to the assault.
The magistrate said that any assault on a child was a serious offence and expressed his sympathy to the victim's father.
Chief Court Prosecutor Ernest Cheung Yan-ming said after the psychiatric assessment that 'it is not in the interests of justice to continue with the prosecution of a person who, in particular, is suffering from a mental disorder'. The Department of Justice believed the bond was appropriate despite reservations from the boy's father.
Ms Ho apologised yesterday to the boy and his family through her lawyer, Jonathan Midgley, who asked that the case be dismissed after she was charged on July 26.
The bond, which is not a conviction and does not constitute a criminal record, normally requires the defendant to maintain good behaviour for a specified period with other conditions.
If Ms Ho breaches the conditions, the case will be called before the magistrate for re-sentencing.
On the night of July 8 Ms Ho was dining alone in the Grand Hyatt Hotel's cafe and queued with the boy at the buffet. The boy accidentally bumped into her, causing her to fall to her knees and drop her food.
The boy apologised but Ms Ho suddenly stepped on his left foot, causing him to cry out. 'It's because he purposely tripped me so I stepped on him back,' Ms Ho told the father.
The boy was uninjured.
Ms Ho has been schizophrenic for over three years, causing a series of problems, and her family has sought daily supervision, the court heard.
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