TNAG-0554-FCO40-649-Review-of-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 158

long-standing grudge against the Deceased and the case for the Crown was that he engaged the other three Applicants either to kill or to cause grievous bodily harm to the Deceased. The second Applicant was introduced to the first Applicant by a man called CHEUNG Chak-leung, who in turn introduced the third and fourth Applicants to the first Applicant. Before the fourth Applicant came on to the scene a man named MAN Kam-yuen had been associated with the others but his place in the alleged conspiracy was taken by the fourth Applicant. The case for the prosecution was that there was an agreement with the second to fourth Applicants to kill

"a man", although it was not known to them until after the alleged offence that the "man" was in fact the father of the first Applicant. CHEUNG Chak-leung and MA Kam-yuen were witnesses for the prosecution and it was largely from them that the police obtained their information. They gave evidence of meetings at which the various Applicants were present. They said that a murder was discussed and that three photographs of the proposed victim were distributed. A reward of $20,000, a flat and some personal property was agreed upon. The first Applicant gave as the reason for the attack that the man had obstructed his business and he suggested that the crime should be made to look like a robbery. Another man, called KWAN Wai-on, was also in the conspiracy and he together with M Kam-yuen, the second Applicant and the third Applicant went to reconnoitre the proposed scene, which was the Deceased's flat, where he lived with his wife. There was then another meeting when the second Applicant fabricated a story which they told to the first Applicant with the object of obtaining payments in advance, but this was declined. The killing took place on 21st February. The first Applicant had by that time removed himself to Lantau, but the other three Applicants are said to have carried out the crime upon the instructions already given by him.

There was evidence that on 24th February the second to fourth Applicants were on Lantau and were describing how the killing had been done. Two days later the first Applicant gave $2,000 to CHENG Chak-leung to be handed on to the second Applicant, but Cheng in fact pocketed the money for himself. On 28th February the first Applicant gave $300 to KWONG Chi-ling for division equally between the second to fourth Applicants. Five days later the first Applicant gave Kwong another $300 for the same purpose. There was also evidence