CHARGE AND CONVICTION
ANNEX C
NOTE BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
The petitioner, a male named
and his
accomplice
were charged with the murder of
WONG Chun-leung deceased. There was an appeal against the first jury decision because of a technical fault in the first
judge's summing-up. A retrial was heard before Mr. Justice Hooper (then a District Court Judge sitting as a Commissioner of the Supreme Court). The second jury found both defendants guilty as charged on 24th April 1981. They were both sentenced to death. Their appeal against conviction was dismissed by the
Court of Appeal on 23rd March 1982.
2.
lodged a petition against the death sentence which was considered by the Governor in Council on 31st
August 1982 and the death sentence was commuted to life imprison-
ment. The present petition was made some 20 days later than CHENG's petition and since its receipt on 5th October enquiries
and preparation of the papers have slightly delayed it.
FACTS
3.
On 22nd October 1979 the body of the deceased, WONG
Chun-leung, was found in a drive-way in the vicinity of Cheung Hang Village, Cheung Sha Wan. The body, which was in a semi- decomposed state, exhibited a number of stab wounds and a wound
from an ox-bone knife which had almost severed the neck.
4.
Folice investigations revealed that the deceased had been involved in drug trafficking. On 15th October 1979 the deceased accepted $16,500 from one
through a middleman,
as advance payment for a quantity of dangerous drugs which the
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