Re
Liu Ping-hon's Death
p.o
the course of their own investigation the students had found a
visible reddish-brown handprint on the roof of the Hon Ming
Building and about twenty feet from where it was surmised the
deceased had fallen. This handprint, however, had not existed
when Sen. Insp. Ho had first inspected the roof-top on the
29th July.
SUM TOTAL OF POSITIVE EVIDENCE
In what was a most comprehensive and accurate summing up to
the jury, Coroner Leonard stressed that this case was notable
for the almost complete paucity of positive evidence of any
kind as to the exact cause of death. Indeed, the sole piece
of direct evidence indicating that Liu Ping-hon had actually
fallen from a considerable height from the Hon Ming Building
(thus corroborating the inferential conclusion from the
position of and damage to the body) was the evidence of one
Lam Chant, a resident of the Tung Chi Building.
Lam Chant had testified that early on the morning of the
26th July, at about 7.15-7.20 am, he had followed his normal
practice of proceeding to the roof of the Tung Chi Building
(10 storeys) with his two caged birds. Whilst doing his
customary exercises he had glanced across to the Hon Ming
Building opposite and saw a falling object cross his line of
vision. He first saw this falling object, which he believed
to be a person in reddish clothing, when it was some 2-3 floors
above his own line of vision. He did not however investigate
further, being frightened, and shortly afterwards heard an
ambulance in the street below. He could not recall whether
any sound emanated from the body during its descent.
Apart from this evidence from Lam Chant, which was in
line with the pathologist's testimony that the deceased must
have fallen from a height exceeding 5 storeys,
there were no
eyewitnesses whatsoever. The watchman of the Hon Ming Building,
one Wong Lok, testified that he had seen or heard nothing.