Domestic worker charged with assaulting 4-month-old after viral post of baby hospitalised with brain injury

2026-01-25 - 21:07

A domestic worker has been charged on suspicion of assaulting a child after an online post about a severely injured four-month-old went viral on Sunday. Fanling Magistrates’ Courts. Photo: Peter Lee/HKFP. The 28-year-old defendant, who is from the Philippines, appeared at the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday morning. She allegedly abused a four-month-old infant, in her employer’s home in Tsiu Keng village in Sheung Shui. She faced one count of “assault by those in charge of child or young person,” which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The case was adjourned to April 9 for a second mention. The defendant is among two domestic workers arrested by police on Tuesday after an infant was left in critical condition due to suspected shaken baby syndrome. Police said during a press briefing on Wednesday that the other worker, a 45-year-old, is still being investigated. 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. During the same press briefing, police said they 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. Police found that the two siblings were mainly cared for by two domestic workers, aged 28 and 45, at their home in Sheung Shui. The 45-year-old domestic worker was released on bail and has to report to police in February. 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. “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. He shared photos of an infant intubated on a hospital bed. 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 past 2am to say that the four-month-old was “unresponsive.” Online, some people wrote comments saying parents should monitor their children closely if they are being left in the care of domestic workers. Others questioned why the father was not home at such a late hour, leaving the worker to stay up and care for the baby.