The couple were bound over at Eastern Court on Tuesday for three years on a joint charge of ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of a child or young person.
Under the order, they will be fined HK$2,000 (US$255) if they fail to maintain good behaviour and keep the peace during the bind-over period, and can face heavier punishment for any further child abuse offences.
The 40-year-old father, surnamed Yen, and 38-year-old mother, surnamed Li, were arrested early this year after taking their children to a breakwater at Chai Wan’s Ka Yip Street to watch the waves as Ragasa swept across the city on September 23, 2025.
A three-metre (10-foot) wave swept the woman and her five-year-old son into the sea at about 3.10pm, just as the family of four were preparing to leave. The father then jumped into the water to try to rescue them.
The unconscious mother and son were eventually rescued by a nearby boatman and received treatment at the intensive care unit of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan.
