Man accused of killing loanshark over threats
A man stabbed and killed a loanshark to whom he owed HK$60,000 in gambling debts because he threatened his daughter and father-in-law, a court has heard.
Yesterday was the first day of Jackie Wong Kam-shing's murder trial in the High Court. Senior prosecutor Polly Wan Shuk-fong said in her opening statement that Wong, 40, took lifeguard Wai Lun, 36, to his Fanling Town Centre flat on the evening of September 28.
Wong told police that Wai got mad and said he would ask Wong's father-in-law to pay if he did not produce the money, or he would hold his daughter until he did, Ms Wang said.
Wong, who said he was afraid Wai would hurt the pair, went into the kitchen for a fruit knife and stabbed Wai, who died of blood loss and multiple stab wounds, including two that punctured his lung.
When police caught Wong the next day, he told them he killed Wai by accident. Wong denies murdering Wai, and prosecutors would not accept a guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Wong, an employee of a logistics company, told police he started gambling in 2005 and had accumulated HK$30,000 in debt, Ms Wang said.
He had to pay Wai HK$6,000 in interest per month for borrowing money and compound interest if he did not manage to pay that interest on time. At the time of the killing, Wong owed HK$60,000.
Wong told police he wanted to commit suicide after killing Wai and bought coal for that purpose, but decided he wanted to see his daughter one last time. He told his former wife, Jackie To Yu-ching, during dinner with their daughter that evening that he had killed someone, said Ms To's sister, To Su-ha. Fearing Wong would kill himself, Ms To told her sister to report him to police.
Ms To's family co-operated with a police plan to have Wong meet her at Serenity Park in Tai Po.
The trial continues today before Mrs Justice Verina Bokhary.
