TNAG-1213-FCO40-1516-Crimes-and-sentences-in-Hong-Kong--including-death-sentences-1982 — Page 139

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The 1st defendant made two statements to the police which

were admitted in the evidence. In both statements he admitted

being present when the deceased was knived, but denied doing any of the kniving himself. In the 1st statement he put the killing

at the Washington Guest House, whereas in the 2nd statement he

put the killing at the hillside. The 1st statement was taken from

the 1st defendant on the 5th November 1979 and the 2nd statement

was taken on the 8th November 1979. On the 7th November 1979 the

1st defendant had led the police to the spot where a scout knife

was recovered on the hillside below the Castle Peak Road in dense

undergrowth.

It was the 1st defendant's explanation or evidence that

he was able to tell the police the approximate area where the knife

had been thrown, because he had heard that from the 2nd defendant.

The 1st defendant was not an impressive witness in the witness box and was clearly lying and in my view the jury was quite right to reject his explanation as to his involvement, and to reject

his alibi. It was unbelievable that anybody who was so closely

involved in this serious dispute as this defendant had been would

have taken time off to help his girlfriend and her cousin do some

shopping.

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So far as the 2nd defendant CHENG Hok-ling was concerned,

he only came into the picture on the evening of the 17th October.

He was one of the 4 men who were left guarding

and keeping

a prisoner at the Ngau Tau Kok flat. The 2nd defendant was

also at the flat when the deceased was brought to the flat on the

19th October for the confrontation with

and he was also

there during the violent events which occurred there when both

and the deceased were beaten up.

the 2nd defendant was seen by

It was

Is evidence that

in the Ngau Tau Kok flat at

a time when he was tucking the ox-bone knife into the waistband of

On his own admission he left the Ngau Tau Kok flat

his trousers.

in the company of the deceased and two other men. He admitted

eventually taking the deceased to the hillside, and although he

admitted that a fight took place on the hillside, he denied that he