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Vincent Wong made his first appearance at Eastern Court on Wednesday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Prosecutor facing indecent assault charges dies in fall from Hong Kong flat

  • Vincent Wong was on bail when the apparent suicide happened at flat in Mong Kok
  • He left a suicide note in which he revealed he had been suffering from depression for years, source says

A senior Hong Kong prosecutor charged with indecently assaulting three colleagues died after jumping from his 37th-floor flat on Saturday morning.

Sources said Vincent Wong Wing-sum, 49, jumped from the balcony of his Mong Kok flat after leaving a suicide note.

Wong had been on bail, charged with four counts of indecent assault. He made his first appearance at Eastern Court on Wednesday. Three women, identified in court only as X, Y, and Z, said he attacked them between December 2014 and April this year at Queensway Government Offices in Admiralty.

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A police source said Wong’s mother-in-law visited him at his flat at about 9am, and said Wong appeared normal.

Wong left a suicide note, before jumping from the balcony of his flat on the 37th floor, landing on the seventh-floor podium. The source said the flat was tidy and no suspicious items or medication were found.

According to the source, Wong had revealed in his note that he suffered from depression for years and had been seeing a psychiatrist.

“He also mentioned he had different views on the four indecent assault allegations against him,” the source said.

He also mentioned he had different views on the four indecent assault allegations against him
Police source

Police confirmed a 49-year-old man, surnamed Wong, fell from a height on Hoi Fan Road, Mong Kok, at 9.58am.

“The security guard at the block called police after a man fell and landed on the podium. The man was certified dead at the scene,” a police spokeswoman said.

A separate police source confirmed the man was Vincent Wong.

A senior lawyer who spoke to Wong last week said he had been in “good spirits”.

Kevin Steel, Wong’s lawyer in the case, said he was deeply saddened and expressed condolences to Wong’s wife. He declined to say how Wong had planned to plead.

Wong worked at the Department of Justice’s prosecutions division for more than 20 years, and was recently responsible for advising on High Court cases. After his arrest in June, he was asked to take an extended leave of absence.

In a statement, the department said: “We express profound sadness and will provide all the necessary assistance to his family.”

Former director of public prosecutions Grenville Cross described Wong as a very bright prosecutor who served as his junior counsel in several cases in the appeal courts. “He was always ready to go the extra mile on difficult cases, and this was very helpful,” Cross said.

If you, or someone you know, are having suicidal thoughts, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Top prosecutor on sex assault charges jumps to his death
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