TNAG-1213-FCO40-1516-Crimes-and-sentences-in-Hong-Kong--including-death-sentences-1982 — Page 59

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The defendant lived and worked on the Mathan Road premises as also did

some of the other employees. On the night of the 27th July, 1930 the

defendant invited his brother,

then aged 17 years and three

others to the premises where they played majong until 6 a.m. on the 28th.

At about 10 a.m. on that day a fellow employee found $200 missing from

the pocket of his trousers which he had left lying around. He reported

the loss to another employee and eventually this information came to the

knowledge of

Who took the defendant to task over the

disappearance of the money.

stole that money but he was enraged at having been accused of taking it

and this led to him leaving his uncle's employment. In a statement he

made he gave that as one of the reasons for leaving the job, adding that

the work was boring. He began working as a guard with the Hong Kong

Security Company on the 23rd August, 1980.

There was no evidence that the defendant

Fo

Apart from this evidence there was no other reasonable motive advanced by

the Crown for the defendant committing these two murders. I was of the

belief that he killed his aunt in cold blood because of his dismissal.

telephored the defendant's mother and explained to her

that notwithstanding their relationship he felt obliged to sack his nephew,

though he added that he did not in fact sack him. Whatever the ins-and-outs

of this may have been it was clear that the defendant left under a cloud

and doubtless the families were slightly embarrassed.

A.

The defendant was known both to his aunt and to the amah. He had visited

the flat at the end of 1979 and again at the beginning of July 1980 on

which latter occasion he was sent by Mr Chan to collect some fruit to be

shared among the employees.