28th January........... 1975
日期
THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
香港總督閣下
&c.
&c.
&c.
The Petition of 呈請人
CHOI Chi-kin alias CHOI Man-kin, Condemned Prisoner No.15086
now
現為香港
a prisoner in Hong Kong Prison humbly showeth 監獄囚犯 謹陳
INSA
1.
That on 2nd December, 1974, the appeal of your humble petitioner
2.
3.
4.
5.
was dismissed and he is now a condemned prisoner waiting to be executed for the offence of murder.
That your humble petitioner is seeking for mercy from Your Excellency the Governor to save him from this punishment.
That your humble petitioner is aged 22 years and was born in this Colony, and that, due to the impoverished circumstances of his family, his education was terminated when he had finished Primary 5 level.
That your humble petitioner is married and has a daughter aged 2 years and prior to his arrest was employed as a metal worker earning $700 per month, out of which he contributed $200 towards the support of his parents and the other five members of his family.
That although your humble petitioner strove to earn an honest living, the burden of his financial responsibilities to his family was such that, when it was suggested to him that he should take part in a theft from a bank, he could not overcome the temptation, and thus regrettably became involved in the robbery on 14th August, 1973 at the Chartered Bank, Cheong Wah Street, Kowloon, and the series of events leading up to this fatal incident.
6. That your humble petitioner was not armed when he went to take part
in the robbery, but acquired a gun in the course of it.
It was never his intention that violence should be used in the course of the robbery, but that any arms carried by those taking part should be used merely to frighten others. He did not envisage the guns being fired, and, indeed, throughout the whole incident did not fire the gun carried by him.
7. The unfortunate incident which resulted in the death of Sergeant
790 CHEUNG Tin-lam took place in the course of the escape of those taking part in the robbery, but at the time of that fatal incident, your humble petitioner was not at the scene and took no part in the shooting which resulted in the Sergeant's death. Although your humble petitioner accepts that, in law, he is equally to blame for this incident with those who actually fired their guns, he begs that it be considered in his favour, and in support of this petition, that he did not fire his gun and had no intention that harm should come to any person as a result of his actions.
P.D. 21 (7/72)