Teen fall mom’s neglect charge dropped
Print Edition
The mother of a teenager who fell to her death from a Hong Kong apartment has had a charge of child neglect against her dropped.
Herminia Garcia, 53, who is from the Philippines, still faces a charge of “breach of condition to stay.”
Her British businessman partner, Nick Cousins, 58, has been charged with helping her to stay in the city illegally, plus two counts of failing to register a birth.
Neither Garcia nor Cousins entered a plea yesterday and they are due to return to court on September 25.
Garcia’s bail of HK$100,000 (US$12,900) with an extra HK$100,000 surety given by a friend was extended, while Cousins was released on HK$10,000 bail.
The couple made no comment as they left court.
Cousins is managing director of the Hong Kong office of British multinational Jardine Lloyd Thompson, an insurance broker.
The couple’s 15-year-old daughter fell 21 stories from their apartment block in Repulse Bay in April. Police said at the time she had been upset about “daily life issues.”
Her younger sister was taken to a children’s home following the incident, but was released back into her family’s care soon after.
There was “no suspicious element” to the tragedy, police said, but they detained both parents on suspicion of neglect.
Garcia was charged soon after and Cousins released on bail pending a police investigation.
Yesterday, he faced a charge of “aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring breach of condition of stay by another person” and two charges of failing to register a birth.
Garcia, a domestic helper in Hong Kong since 1990, began living with Cousins in 1994.
The South China Morning Post previously reported that the girls’ births had never been registered. There were also reports they had never been to school, although they were said to have received a “proper education.”
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