Death-fall inquest hears last words

Former actress Mary Jean Reimer Lau told an inquest yesterday how her former boss, lawyer Lim Keng-yip, fell to his death after climbing out of a window of her seventh-floor flat when her husband arrived home unexpectedly.

Mrs Lau, 37, a mother of two, said she tried to stop her husband, stunt director Lau Kar-leung, 66, entering her flat on November 2 last year as Lim climbed out the window.

The flat, which is not the couple's main residence, is mostly owned by Mrs Lau, an actress in local productions in the 1980s.

The couple later found Lim, 50, lying in agony on the second-floor podium outside the flat in Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan. He was still conscious, and apologised to Mr Lau, saying he had climbed out the window to avoid 'any misunderstanding', Mrs Lau told Coroner William Lam Kui-po.

Lim, 50, a partner at law firm Johnson Stokes & Master, died the next day at Queen Mary Hospital. Forensic pathologist Dr Tso Chi-bun said Lim's pelvis had been extensively fractured. His skull had a 17cm fracture and there were bruises and swelling all over his body.

Mrs Lau, then a trainee solicitor at the law firm, said Lim, who was her supervisor, came to her home to help her pack law books at about 2.30pm on the day of the incident.

Mrs Lau said the doorbell rang twice after the pair had been in the flat for about 10 minutes and, looking through the peephole, she saw her husband outside. When Mr Lau was about to open the door with his key, Mrs Lau said she rushed over and tried to stop him entering while Lim climbed out of the living room window. 'He went out and closed it from outside. I waited for a while and then I opened the door,' Mrs Lau said.

When asked by senior government counsel Jackson Poon what she then told her husband, Mrs Lau said she could not remember and added: 'I was trembling. Everything was just so sudden.'

Mrs Lau told the court her husband repeatedly questioned her about having heard a male voice in the flat and became suspicious.

The stunt director then searched the flat. When he opened the window, Mrs Lau said, he saw a shoe on the ledge and a man's legs on the second-floor podium. The couple went down and found Lim lying against the wall, Ms Lau said.

Her husband asked Lim why he was so foolish as to jump. Mrs Lau said Lim replied: 'I fell down. I'm sorry. I did not want you to have any misunderstanding.'

A report was then made to the police by the caretaker and Lim was taken to hospital.

According to Mr Lau's two police statements, read out in court yesterday, he said his wife had denied there was anyone else inside the flat and said the only noise had been from the television set. After arguing for some time, Mr Lau had told his wife: 'Tell him to come out. There's nothing special about love affairs between men and women.'

The statement said that Mr Lau then went to the window after seeing a packet of cigarettes outside, and saw the shoe on the ledge and the man's legs down on the podium five floors below.

Mr Lau had told the police he wanted to divorce his wife after reading gossip about her and Lim, but she refused a divorce.

The hearing continues today.