Three plead guilty to throwing corrosive fluid over barrister

Six men pleaded guilty yesterday to their roles in an acid attack on a barrister who was prosecuting another lawyer in a mortgage scam case.

Three of the six, one of whom had been convicted of manslaughter when he was 16, yesterday confirmed their pleas of guilty to throwing corrosive fluid with intent.

The three others who previously pleaded guilty were not at yesterday's hearing. A seventh defendant, Chau Kim-lung, 25, was discharged after the charge against him was ordered to remain on the court file.

When barrister Neil Mitchell was attacked on October 26, 2009, outside the District Court in Wan Chai, he was prosecuting another lawyer Kevin Kong Hon-yui, who was charged with conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to defraud involving HK$11 million. Kong was convicted and jailed for six years.

Court documents yesterday showed one defendant, Billy Kay Sik-hong, 44, told police after his arrest that a person named Ah Ki recruited him on behalf of a lawyer to attack the prosecutor. Ah Ki described the intended target as a bald expatriate.

The defendants told police they were offered rewards of up to HK$10,000 for the attack, according to the documents. Six days before the attack, Kay said, he went to the District Court and Kong had walked past, telling him to hurry up or he would go to jail, according to the documents.