Hong Kong authorities have vowed to strictly monitor a sexual assault case involving a district councillor and a then underage girl, saying the official may be disciplined in accordance with a new set of performance parameters if necessary.

A Home Affairs Department spokesman said on Friday it had been notified of the criminal allegations against Sei Chun-hing, who was elected to the Yuen Long district council in the New Territories in the first such poll following last year’s “patriots-only” overhaul of the electoral system.

The government could consider initiating its own inquiry depending on the outcome of the case, he added.

“The government places great emphasis on the character, integrity and conduct of district councillors. Those who commit an offence or misconduct themselves will be strictly dealt with in accordance with the law,” the spokesman said.

Sei, 37, has been accused of assaulting a girl at Ko Shan Road Park in To Kwa Wan on an unspecified date in November 2008, according to a charge sheet submitted to Tuen Mun Court earlier this year. She was 11 at the time.