Condemned
D
For Executive Council
Report by Regional Secretary (H.K. & Kln.)
Staff of the City District Office (Southern) visited
Mr. CHEUNG Yiu-chi, the prisoner's father. According to his father the prisoner left school after completing F. 3 education and was employed in a cleansing company. The prisoner resigned later to help his father in operating a store in the Shek Pai Wan Estate. Mr. Cheung maintained that all along his son had behaved well.
2.
Though M. Choung was shameful of his son's act, he believed that CHAN Ting-san, one of the prisoners involved in the case, was the main culprit and that his son had only been an accomplice. Therefore, Mr. Cheung thought that his son should deserve a lighter penalty and that the death sentence imposed on him should be commuted to life imprisonment.
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Some of the neighbours interviewed knew the prisoner's father well but not the prisoner and they refused to pass any comment on the case nor death penalty in general. Other respondents who did not know the prisoner's family generally felt that the death sentence have a deterrent effect on would-be offenders.
Condemned
4.
Staff of the City District Office (Kowloon City) visited Madam CHUNG Ling-fung, wife of the prisoner, and Madam WAN Sheung, mother-in-law of the prisoner. They both believed that the prisoner was innocent. It was also intimated that their family had been facing great economic difficulty ever since the jailing of the prisoner who used to be the only bread-winner in the family.
5.
The neighbours had neither knowledge of the case nor the prisoner and refused to pass any comments on such. For death sentence in general, most advocated its effectiveness in deterring crime. One respondent, a social worker, however opined that other heavy penalty would serve the purpose equally well.
Condemned
6.
Staff of the City District Office (Shum Shui Po) were not able to contact Mr. LY Du-long, father of the prisoner who was reported to have moved to the New Territories some six months ago.
7.
Two neighbours living in the same flat as Mr. Ly were contacted but neither expressed any comment on the case nor knowledge of the prisoner.
8.
The general sentiment of the local community is in favour
of the death sentence.
Home Affairs Department 16th October 1980