2
was to secure the release of HO Shuet-fong, exact revenge from Tai Pau and his associates or assert the power of So Kuen and his friends, or same combination of these. In the event WONG Fat-nip and LAU Wah received many cut wounds on the body, though Wong actually died almost immediately from two stab wounds to the heart; and YUNG Chi-she ung also received some bad cut wounds. There was evidence to the effect that WONG Fat-nip was chopped in the sitting roan on to which the front door of the flat opened, ran into a bedroom at the rear where he was chopped again and died. Two girls found in the flat were unharmed. Tai Pau was not present. The only other persons apparently present on his side were two of his men who arrived just after So Kuen's main party arrived; their hands were tied behind their backs; one of them was taken to the rear staircase and kept there; the other was used to decoy one of the girls inside the flat into opening the front door; neither was injured. So Kuen's gang rushed in. The Crown case, which is probably the correct one, was that the occupants of the flat, who were watching television, were taken completely by surprise by this intrusion, outnumbered, unable to offer any resistance and had inflicted upon them the injuries which I have mentioned; on leaving, the invaders shouted out that Tai Pau was to release HO Shuet-fong or he would be similarly chopped as soon as he could be found.
No prosecution eye witness was able to say that either of the accused hit the deceased or to say who had done s o. The prosecution evidence to some extent suggested that neither of the accused had hit the deceased but had confined their attention to LAU Wah and to YUNG Chi-sheung.
one.
The two accused told similar stories. They admitted being at the flat and seeing the tying of the hands of the two men at knife point, and the invasion of the flat. First accused admitted in evidence that he knew before he went to the flat that a fight might occur there, and that Tai Pau would be chopped if found there. He also admitted that So Kuen whom he did not know very well, distributed knives to Ah Fai and another member of his gang before they went to the flat, though he said that he himself did not receive He maintained, however, that his only intention in going to the flat was to reason with Tai Pau about the release of HO Shuet-fong; he had no weapons and did not venture beyond the sitting room; the only physical act in which he indulged was, on entering the flat after waiting outside for some time and hearing a commotion inside, to pick up a stool in the sitting room and use it to ward off blows struck at him.
This account fell short of what he had told the police on being arrested, in which he implied that he knew he would be involved in a fight, and what he said on being formally charged, though it must be said that on the latter occasion he had denied killing the deceased.
The second accused also said that his purpose in going to the flat was to reason with Tai Pau about the release of HO Shuet-fong. He also did not know So Kuen well. He would not admit that he had any idea before going to the flat that a fight might ensure there. This was unconvincing as he had been present at an earlier meeting at a restaurant between So Kuen and Tai Pau at which So Kuen's party was warned that Tai Pau had 10 armed men in the vicinity, and then discreetly melted into the night. He said that he had not realised
Page 225Page 226
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.