An associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been acquitted of indecently assaulting a woman who reported him upon discovering he was married, after a court found the pair had been mutually attracted and that the man may have wrongly believed she had consented to being touched.
Magistrate Raymond Wong Kwok-fai acquitted Peng Peng, 38, at Sha Tin Court on Monday, following hearings that began in July.
Peng had pleaded not guilty to two counts stemming from alleged incidents on May 21, 2025, when he and the complainant – a fellow scholar from mainland China – visited CUHK’s art museum before dining in Ma On Shan.
The court earlier heard that the two met in April after a conference and went hiking on CUHK’s campus, but the complainant said Peng never mentioned he was a married man or a father.
Peng later emailed her, calling the hike an “unforgettable adventure on the campus.” She replied she was “very happy” and looked forward to meeting again in summer. Peng responded: “The views at CUHK are beautiful, but nothing compares to the sight of you beside me.”
They later moved their conversations to WeChat. On May 20, the woman invited Peng to campus but he said he was busy and would see her the next day. She replied: “Nothing, talk to you when we meet.” When Peng asked, “why so mysterious?”, she sent a “doll” emoji and wrote, “keep smiling”.
During their museum visit, the court heard, their conversation included sexual innuendo – remarks about her outfit and the colour of her toenails – and Peng patted her on the back.