HONG KONG, Jan 20 – Police are to study security-camera footage after an alleged attack by the wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on a Hong Kong photographer.

The force said yesterday that the investigation was continuing and it would adopt a “multi-angled” approach to the case. This would include reviewing any relevant surveillance video.

Police were told that the alleged attack last Thursday involving Grace Mugabe, who was in town for a shopping trip, took place directly beneath a security camera on the side of a shopping centre.

The camera that may have captured the incident was on the side of the Tsim Sha Tsui Centre in Mody Road where Mrs Mugabe, 43, allegedly punched Richard Jones, chief photographer of Hong Kong photographic agency Sinopix.

Jones was on assignment for The Sunday Times in London and was tailing Mrs Mugabe while she and an entourage shopped.

Mrs Mugabe’s home country relies heavily on food aid.

After her bodyguard chased after Jones and tried to grab his camera, Mrs Mugabe allegedly ran over and punched the 42-year-old Welshman repeatedly, leaving his face and forehead cut and bruised.

Jones, who yesterday returned to Tsim Sha Tsui police station for further interviews, said the attack took place directly beneath one camera and within range of another further along the side of the shopping centre.

Police are expected to take statements from a reporter and second photographer working with Jones at the time of the alleged incident.

“I have been very impressed by the response of the police,” said Jones. “I have no idea if Mrs Mugabe can be brought back to Hong Kong if an assault case comes to court, but I am pleased to see that it’s being looked into properly and isn’t just being put to one side because of who she is.”

Mrs Mugabe checked out of the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel and returned to Zimbabwe on Friday, a day before Jones reported the incident to police.

“I thought about reporting it immediately but my initial reaction was that she was surrounded by thugs and I didn’t want to report it to the police until after she had left Hong Kong,” he said.

Mrs Mugabe was in Hong Kong from Jan 9 as part of an Asian holiday that began in Malaysia early this month and continued to Singapore before her arrival in the city last week.

Robert Mugabe reportedly withdrew US$92,000 from the central bank in Harare at the beginning of this month to fund her Asian holiday. – South China Morning Post.