2 domestic workers arrested over alleged abuse of 4-month-old baby

2026-01-25 - 21:07

Hong Kong police have arrested two domestic workers for alleged child abuse after a four-month-old infant was left in critical condition due to suspected shaken baby syndrome. The Hong Kong Police Force headquarters in Wan Chai. Photo: Candice Chau/HKFP. The two workers, aged 28 and 45, were apprehended on Tuesday, Chief Inspector Tam Ching-shan of the police force’s Tai Po district crime unit said on Wednesday. Tam said police received a report from Prince of Wales Hospital on Sunday about a baby boy suffering from a brain haemorrhage. The injuries were deemed serious, and the baby was suspected of having shaken baby syndrome, a serious brain injury caused by forcefully shaking an infant. Following a police investigation, it was discovered that the infant had an older 16-month-old brother who had injuries on the right side of his face. A photo of the injured baby, posted to Facebook on January 20, 2026, by a man believed to be his father. Photo: 盧生, via Facebook. Police found that the two siblings were mainly cared for by two domestic workers, aged 28 and 45, at their home in Sheung Shui. Officers reviewed CCTV footage from the home and suspected that the 28-year-old domestic worker had harmed both children, Tam said. While the footage only showed a limited view of the living room and did not capture any scenes of severe physical abuse, doctors believed the injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome, the chief inspector said. Both workers were arrested for suspected child abuse, and a holding charge was laid against the 28-year-old, who will appear at the Fanling Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. The four-month-old boy remains in critical condition, while the older child is stable. In the early hours of Tuesday, the day of the arrests, a man believed to be the father of the baby made a post in a Facebook group for employers of domestic workers. He shared photos of an infant intubated on a hospital bed. “I cannot disclose the domestic worker’s personal information as the case has entered legal proceedings, but I hope everyone pays attention to their children,” he wrote. Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin. Photo: Hillary Leung/HKFP. The man, surnamed Lo, told HK01 in an article published on Tuesday night that he was outside in the early hours of Sunday when his domestic worker, who was feeding the baby at home, called him to say that the four-month-old was unresponsive. He checked CCTV footage, which showed the domestic worker burping the baby and taking him into a room. Around 40 minutes later, at around 2.10am, the domestic worker called Lo again, saying the baby was still unresponsive. Lo called an ambulance, and the baby was taken to North District Hospital before being transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital. Prince of Wales Hospital made the police report about the baby’s suspected shaken baby syndrome two days before the city’s Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance was enacted on Tuesday. Under the ordinance, professionals, including those working in social welfare, education and healthcare, are legally required to report suspected mistreatment of minors.