Teen Who Alleged Gang Rape Faces Arrest, Say Police

Police Commissioner Chris Tang said on Tuesday that the force was planning to arrest a teenager who alleged she was gang-raped by four officers in a police station for allegedly misleading detectives, but she has "fled" Hong Kong.

At a district council meeting in Yuen Long, Tang said the Department of Justice had instructed the police to arrest the young woman on suspicion of providing a false statement.

"As she has absconded, she is now a wanted person," he said.

Lawyers for the teenager had filed a complaint to police in October saying the alleged attack happened inside Tsuen Wan Police Station the month before.

The teen was said to have undergone an abortion following the alleged gang rape and her lawyers said a DNA sample had been provided to the police in the hope of identifying "at least one of her assailants".

In January, Tang sparked an outcry after commenting on the teenager's case during a district council meeting.

He had told councillors in Central and Western that the matter was being handled “in the direction of misleading police officers or giving a false statement”, reiterating that CCTV footage recovered was not consistent with her claims.

The teenager's lawyers had issued a statement in response to Tang's comments, accusing him of an "outrageous" attempt to try to publicly discredit their client and undermine her complaint. They also said police officers had been leaking "supposed details" of the case.

The gang rape allegation came at the height of Hong Kong's protests last year and riot officers were often taunted with accusations that they were rapists.