A veterinarian was sent to jail for two years yesterday after being found guilty of beating his ex-girlfriend and threatening to inject her with a drug used for euthanising animals.
Tsoi Sheung-ki, 37, was earlier convicted in the District Court of assault, false imprisonment and criminal intimidation of his former live-in girlfriend, Vanessa Chu Man-wah, 29, related to incidents at his Ma On Shan clinic on August 13 and 14 last year. The court ruled that Tsoi had committed the crimes out of jealousy after he found photos on Facebook of Chu posing with men who had taken her out for meals.
Judge Anthea Pang Ko-kam originally handed down a 27-month term, considering the fear and trauma Chu had suffered during a six-hour ordeal of captivity and threats. But the judge reduced the term by three months because of Tsoi's good background and contribution to the profession.
In mitigation, defending barrister Jon Wong Kwok-ho said that Tsoi had recently received more than 100 mitigation letters from his customers, representatives from animal concern groups, other vets and residents living nearby.
He said Tsoi, who grew up on the mainland, was an 'extremely caring person' who adopted almost all the pets customers had abandoned at his clinic, making his home like a zoo. He did a lot of volunteer work and gave discounts to customers with financial problems.
Tsoi had wanted to become a vet since he was a child, studied veterinary science in Australia and graduated with first-class honours, Wong said. Tsoi would probably lose his qualification but would still hope to take care of animals by working as a nurse or farmer, the court heard.