A man allegedly behind an acid attack in 2004 yesterday pleaded not guilty to four charges, claiming that he had acted on the instruction of a dissatisfied father who was upset about his son and daughter-in-law's failure to 'pay respect' to him.
But instead of attacking the son and daughter-in-law, the assailants on January 16, 2004, injured the man's daughter and nephew.
Lam Ming-wing, 36, faced two counts of throwing corrosive fluid with intent to do grievous bodily harm, one count of wounding and one count of conspiracy to throw corrosive fluid, at a Court of First Instance case described only as a 'family dispute between the Wans'.
Lam said before Deputy Judge Peter Longley that the father, a Mr Wan, decided to 'punish' his son and daughter-in-law by telling someone to splash them with acid.
Wan arranged for Lam to organise the plot, and Lam then instructed another two men, named in court as Chan and Yip, to carry out the attack.
On January 16, 2004, Chan and Yip arrived in a car at Heung Sze Wui Street in Tai Po. The pair saw a man and a woman walk out of a flat and threw sulfuric acid on to them.