Man jailed for three months after sexually assaulting streamer on Twitch

A Hong Kong chef has been sentenced to three months in prison after sexually assaulting a Twitch streamer during a live broadcast in September.

On September 11, 2023, Korean Twitch streamer ‘may5w’ was broadcasting her travels in Hong Kong when she was sexually assaulted.

While she was making her way back to her hotel, a man suddenly pushed her against the wall in a stairwell of an MTR tram station and began groping her.

The Twitch streamer repeatedly begged him to stop, but he continued with the assault despite her protests.

Luckily, the streamer was able to break free and ran away, and was later guarded by another man who warded off her attacker.

The shocking moment was all caught during May’s live Twitch broadcast, leaving viewers shocked, appalled, and thankful for the man helping her out.

It wasn’t long before the man, a 46-year-old former chef in Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town district, was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault and outraging public decency. Now, nearly two months later, he is officially facing charges.

Man faces jail time after sexually assaulting Twitch streamer

According to reports from the South China Morning Post, the defendant pleaded guilty to indecent assault and was reportedly under the influence of alcohol during the incident.

Counsel for the defense claims that the man developed a dependency on alcohol due to falling into a depression after being separated from his family in India and “and lost control of himself” upon seeing the Twitch streamer alone.

According to his defense, the man lost his job as a result of his arrest and “could not be more ashamed” of his actions.

Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei rejected the defense’s appeals for a second chance and found his behavior “despicable and offensive.”

“The harassment lasted for quite some time, and I find the degree of indecency was considerable and escalating,” Chui stated, per the SCMP. “…The incident was actually captured by the live-streaming video, which would inevitably [destroy] the reputation of Hong Kong.”

Amit has been sentenced to three months in jail — a reduction from his initial sentence of four and a half months in prison.

Although May has not made a public statement regarding the man’s sentence, she did publish a YouTube video discussing the subject in October. In her video, she explained that the man initially asked her for help getting to his destination. May claimed the assault began after she agreed to help him.

“This was the first time I had experienced such a situation and I was too shocked to even think about shouting,” she explained in the video. “…Rumors have emerged, including the absurd claim that I staged a drama to become famous and promote racial discrimination. …it hurt me more than being sexually harassed that day.”

“This experience makes me realize the importance of being cautious when helping others or showing kindness, and it saddens me deeply.”