SOCIAL ENQUIRY
CONDEMNED PRISONER
A.
B.
Name :
Religion:
HO Kwai-wah @ HO Kwai
Nil
Native Place: Pun Yu, China
Age:
24 (according to H.K. Birth Certificate No. 72622
and H.K. I/C No. E341916, born on 28th Septem- ber, 1950)
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Prisoner was the second child, but the eldest son
His of the family. The parents used to have a steady income. mother only retired from work after the arrest of the Prisoner. His father was still employed as a skilled worker, at his advanced age of 60, in the Chung Wah Shipping and Manufacturing Company. The Prisoner had for a time been supporting his family until he
He had left was dismissed from his last job in the end of 1972. his family about the same time and lived with some friends somewhere in Chai Wan.
The Prisoner used to do satisfactorily both in school and employment, according to his family in general. He joined the Lane Crawford Ltd. when he completed primary education, as a door-boy. Being part of the welfare programme of the said company, the, Prisoner went to the Yin Tak Evening School for further education. This was given up about two years later when he joined another company Tai Yau Company (Cloth Dealer) in 1966. He was dismissed in 1972 for taking leave without permission, but he claimed that it was just an excuse of the company which was not doing well at that time. Since then, he had not found himself a regular job but doing casual jobs for his friends who were skilled masons, carpenters or painters. It was during this time that he went into closer contact with some of the other Prisoners in the same case of offences.
The Prisoner revealed that he had indulged in street- gambling as well as horse/greyhound off-course betting. He had loans from some money-lenders who "supported" him when he lost. Debts accumulated as time went on and at the last instance, he borrowed $1,000 from a money-lender who required him to repay with interest within a given period. To raise the money, the Prisoner said, he had resorted to commit the robbery.
FAMILY COMPOSITION
Father HO Kau, 60, a skilled worker of the Chung Wah
Shipping and Manufacturing Company with about $1,000 p.m.
Mother: LEUNG Kam-yee, 53, a housewife.
Elder sister: HO Lai-chun, 26, a factory worker with $700 p.m.
Younger sisters HO Kwai-lin, 22, married and living apart.
: HO Kwai-mui, 18, a factory worker with $450 p.m.