Jailed: ‘Cold blooded’ duo get 19 years each for knife attack on Hong Kong journalist Kevin Lau
High Court judge deplores 'cold-blooded' pair who executed senseless assault for the sake of money and went shopping for shoes afterwards
Two men who launched a "cold-blooded" knife attack on a veteran Hong Kong journalist were jailed for 19 years at the High Court yesterday - though the reason for the vicious assault remained a mystery.
Yip Kim-wah and Wong Chi-wah, both 39, were convicted by a jury of one count each of causing grievous bodily harm to former Ming Pao chief editor Kevin Lau Chun-to, 50, in February last year. They were also found guilty of one count of stealing a motorcycle that was used in the case.
Yip was convicted as well on a count of theft for stealing a vehicle licence.
"This is an abrasive attack on the rule of law in Hong Kong," Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping said.
Toh said the pair claimed to have been offered HK$100,000 each to "teach Lau a lesson" but refused to reveal who hired them. No evidence suggested it was related to the journalist's work, she noted, but she recalled Lau had testified that he had no financial or personal dispute with anyone.
"It is lucky for Hong Kong people to have freedom of the press," she said. "Members of the press, like everyone else, should be protected by the law without fear in their daily business."