Man, 58, arrested for sexual assault on stray dog

A 58-year-old man was arrested after he was accused of sexually assaulting a female dog in Tung Chung last week.

The suspect, a construction worker surnamed Chung, was taken into custody following an alert from a villager about an unnatural sex act, Apple Daily reports.

According to the report, Chung is believed to have sexually abused an animal on February 1 in Chek Lap Kok Village, where stray dogs often gather and are fed by local residents.

Chung, a married man with children, lured a two-year-old white female mongrel with food and raped the dog after walking it up a hill, as per the report.

The construction worker appeared near the village on February 1, arousing the attention of a woman surnamed Chan, a local resident and a dog lover.

Seeing Chung loitering in the village, Chan became suspicious and took a picture of him on her mobile phone.

She then noticed that the visitor used food to lure a mongrel named "Snow" up a hill. Worried for the young dog's safety, Chan stayed behind to check on her.

A few hours later, she noticed that Snow had reappeared, limping and bleeding from her lower body. Knowing that Snow was spayed, Chan felt it was unlikely that male dogs would have been interested in the sterilized mongrel.

Chan then took the dog to a veterinarian for a check up. An examination revealed that the animal's vagina had been ripped and that there was human semen inside.

Following the shocking news, Chan called the police and informed them about the matter.

After following up on Chan's photo of the suspect, the police tracked him down to his home in Tung Chung Yat Tung Estate and arrested him Thursday morning.

Investigations led to a conclusion that Snow was probably raped in a makeshift squatter house made by the villagers.

The injured animal has been taken to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for further inspection, according to Apple Daily.

Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung pointed out that bestiality is a serious offence, one that is worse than other forms of animal abuse.

According to the Crimes Ordinance, a person who commits buggery with an animal is guilty of the crime of bestiality and could face a jail time of up to ten years and a fine of HK$50,000.

Mark Mak Chi-ho, convener of the 18 Districts Animal Protection, an animal welfare group, noted that forensic proof for the raping of a dog is very difficult to prove.

The activist said it is distressing that besides animal abuse and eating dog meat, some humans are now using dogs even as sex tools, Ming Pao Daily reports.

Mak urged the government to establish an animal police squad to specifically look into events like these to prevent similar cases.

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