Charges filed vs father of half-Filipina teen in HK suicide

HONG KONG – British executive Nick Cousins was charged in court on Thursday, August 13, of failure to report the births of his two daughters, and of aiding and abetting the illegal stay in Hong Kong of their Filipina mother. 

Cousins, the father of the 15-year-old girl who took her own life in April, appeared in Eastern Court with Filipino live-in partner Herminia Garcia.

Garcia stands accused of overstaying her visa in Hong Kong for more than 20 years. However, a charge of ill-treating a child filed against her had been withdrawn by the prosecution. (READ: Neglect charges dropped vs mom of dead HK-Filipina)

Garcia’s bail of $200,000 cash and $100,000 surety was extended, while Cousins was allowed to post a $10,000-bail.

They were told to appear in court on September 26.

The couple was arrested shortly after their daughter jumped off their luxury flat in Repulse Bay on April 7.

Police investigating the case reportedly discovered that Garcia, known to friends as Grace Cousins, was a former domestic worker who had overstayed her visa for more than 20 years. (READ: Cousins suicide: A tragedy that could have been averted)

She never married Cousins, the father of the suicide victim and a younger daughter. 

Both daughters did not have identity documents because their births were not registered with the authorities as required by law. Neither could go to regular schools as a result. The girls’ isolation was what apparently prompted the older one to jump to her death. – Rappler.com