TNAG-1213-FCO40-1516-Crimes-and-sentences-in-Hong-Kong--including-death-sentences-1982 — Page 24

SOCIAL ENQUIRY ON

CONDEMNED

PRISONER

Name

Male

杨伯粦

>

27 years 11 months (allegedly born on 23.10.53)

Sex

Age

:

Native place : Religion

Wai Yeung, Kwangtung Province, China

:

Nil

ANNEX E

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

The prisoner, born in China, was the fourth child of a farming family. After completing Middle School Class Three in 1972, he worked as a farmer for five years. Later in October 1978, he entered Hong Kong illegally with a clansman,

to look for a more adventurous and materialistic

life. He did not have any close relatives in Hong Kong.

2.

After arriving in Hong Kong, he first lived with his clansmen or at his working places. In October 1979 he shared a room at Lai Chi Kok Road, Kowloon with his two cousins,

(the wounded victim) and

(the deceased) who arrived from China at a later date. Later, in May 1980, they jointly bought a wooden hut for $5500 at equal shares at Tung Yeung Village, Tsz Wan Shan, Kowloon. However, the two cousins could only afford $2000 and the prisoner had to cover their outstanding payment apart from paying his own share. Even until the occurrence of the offences, the two cousins had not paid up their debt to the prisoner. Anyhow, the prisoner said that he had not pressed them for money and of course, would not hurt them for this reason.

3.

The prisoner could not get along harmoniously with his two cousins due to some conflicts over trifles and being accused of indecently assaulting

(the deceased) and a neighbour called

Despite that the prisoner strongly denied to have committed such a disgraceful act, the cousins kept on accusing and condemning him. In September 1980, it eventually led to a heated quarrel between the prisoner and his elder cousin. As a result, their relationship was further worsened and they had not talked to each other since then. Nevertheless, the prisoner claimed that he still maintained a superficial relationship with his younger cousin (the deceased) and had asked her to be the middleman to help him reconcile with the elder cousin. But his efforts were in vain and the prisoner remained in a strained relationship with his cousins especially the elder one.

4.

In the morning of 28.1.81, the prisoner said that he was annoyed by the loud noise of a tape-recorder, turned on by his younger cousin (the deceased). He asked her to lower down the volume so that he could continue to get some sleep. However, the deceased ignored his words. The prisoner became so angry with the deceased's indifferent attitude that he got up and interrogated her. In consequence, a furious argument and a fight followed. In the quarrel, the deceased threatened to frame up a story before her elder brother, that the prisoner had indecently assaulted her in that very morning. Upon the confrontation of such a malice, the prisoner was highly agitated and he tied up the deceased in order to give her a good lesson. He shut the deceased's mouth with a piece of cloth to stop her from shouting for help. Unfortunately, in his struggle with the deceased, the latter was killed, the prisoner said.

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