TNAG-0488-FCO40-553-Review-of-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 12

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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10.

SUMMARY.

There is no doubt on the evidence that LAU was at the

There is no doubt that he

apartment at the time of the killing.

was armed with a knife, and there is no doubt that he used that

knife to wound someone. Apart from LAU's own admission, the

evidence of WONG Pan-yuk was that, after the events, there was

blood on LAU's underpants which must have got there when he

concealed the knife about his person as he ran away..

11.

There was, however, no direct evidence that it was

LAU who stabbed the deceased. The evidence of Mr. CHEUNG,her

husband, was that it was the first man to come to the door of the

apartment who stabbed her and the evidence of WONG Pan-yuk was

that it was LAU who went up first. Although WONG was an accom-

plice, the jury must have believed the evidence that he gave in

this respect in order to support the verdict of murder which

they returned against LAU.

12. (a)

(b)

(c)

(a)

PRINCIPAL FACTORS.

This was an outrageous killing of a defenceless woman

of 57 years of age, who was coming to the aid of her

husband who was himself attempting to resist a robbery.

It seems clear that she was attacked in order to prevent

her from raising further alarm.

On the jury's verdict, LAU struck the fatal blow. He

also provided the knives used by him and his co-accused.

The verdict of murder against LAU is perhaps mildly

surprising in view of the relatively thin evidence

showing that he struck the fatal blow. Nonetheless,

there are sufficient evidence and the verdict is fully

supportable.

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