Lawyer 'a victim of false gossip'
The widow of lawyer Lim Keng-yip, who fell to his death from the flat of former actress Mary Jean Reimer Lau, believes her late husband was 'a victim of false gossip' and that his relationship with Mrs Lau was a working one, an inquest heard yesterday.
Lim had climbed through a window on to a ledge outside the seventh-floor flat after Mrs Lau's husband, stunt director Lau Kar-leung, returned home unexpectedly on November 2 last year. The inquest has heard he said he climbed out the window to avoid a 'misunderstanding' over his presence in the flat.
His widow, Lim Siu-mei, a mother of three, said Lim was a 'good and loving husband and father' who had always treated his family as 'his No 1 priority'.
According to her statement read out in the Coroner's Court yesterday, Mrs Lim told the police on December 3 last year that her husband had described Mrs Lau, then a trainee solicitor at Johnson, Stokes & Master, as a 'very hardworking and ambitious' woman.
Lim, 50, a partner with the law firm, died of multiple injuries the day after falling to the 3rd-floor podium.
Coroner William Lam Kui-po heard that Lim went to Mrs Lau's flat in Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, to help her pack law books on November 2 last year.
According to Mrs Lim's statement, she was not greatly bothered by media reports at the time about Lim's supposed relationship with Mrs Lau. She said her husband had told her that the newspapers were targeting Mrs Lau, a former television celebrity.
'He was a victim of the false gossip but he did not take any notice of it,' she said. 'As far as I know, his relationship with Mary Lau was a working one. My husband was her supervisor.'
Lim grew up in Kuala Lumpur and qualified as a lawyer in London in 1976.
Mrs Lim said their family life carried on as usual despite the media attention.
According to Mr Lau's statement, which was read out in court on Monday, he had heard a male voice in the flat, prompting him to search the premises after entering the home. When he looked out of the window after noticing a packet of cigarettes outside, he saw a man's legs on the podium four floors below.
The Laus went down and found Lim lying in pain on the podium. Mrs Lau said that when Mr Lau asked Lim why he had jumped, Lim replied: 'I fell down. I'm sorry. I did not want you to have any misunderstanding.'
Lim told her that if anyone asked about his fall, she could tell them he had been trying to retrieve his cigarettes outside the window, Mrs Lau said.
Building caretaker Cheng Luen-sang, who called the police, testified yesterday that Mrs Lau had told him Lim fell while trying to get back the cigarette packet.
Ambulance officer Tam Kwok-heng testified that Lim told him he fell due to his carelessness.
The coroner will direct the jury this morning and a verdict is expected later today.
