HONG KONG: Three women involved in a brawl at a Hong Kong shopping mall, during which a young girl was slapped by an elderly woman, were granted bail on Thursday (Sep 3), on condition that they do not return to the mall nor contact prosecution witnesses before their next hearing.
The women were named as Leung Lai-ha, 68, Ng Ka-wun and Xu Yang, both 34.
They were accused of taking part in an unlawful fight at the atrium of APM shopping mall in Kwun Tong district on Aug 26, court documents said.
Leung, a retiree, and Ng, an insurance agent, are mother and daughter. They were jointly charged with one count of fighting in a public place, Hong Kong news outlet HK01 reported.
Xu was identified as the mother of the 5-year-old girl, surnamed Yeung, who was seen in the viral video.
Leung faces an additional count of common assault for allegedly assaulting Yeung at the mall that day.
The three women were each granted bail of HK$5,000 (US$638) – on condition that they do not return to APM shopping mall or contact prosecution witnesses before the next hearing.
The case was heard at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court in Kowloon.
At the prosecution’s request, the case was adjourned until Nov 5 to allow the defence to obtain documents and “discuss alternative methods of disposal”, HK01 reported.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Leung and Ng’s lawyer had asked the court for time to submit a letter of negotiation to the Department of Justice.
