Girl, 13, on probation for threat to kill mum

A 13-year-old girl who armed herself with knives and threatened to kill her mother after she took her mobile phone was placed on probation for two years yesterday.

The Form One pupil, who earlier pleaded guilty in Tsuen Wan Juvenile Court to criminal intimidation, said she had learned how important her parents were after she spent two weeks in a children's home.

When Magistrate Lambert Lee Ka-chai asked how she felt about losing her liberty, she burst into tears and said: 'It was difficult. My dad and mum were not there to help with the housework. I had to do it. I've learned how to do housework. I can help after I'm released. I won't hurt mum and I will learn to control my emotions.

The court heard that on August 12, the girl had a squabble with her mother, who took her mobile phone. The girl pulled out a cutter and threatened to kill her mother. When her 61-year-old father grabbed the cutter, the girl ran to the kitchen and took two cleavers and a chef's knife. Her father also wrested them from her, restrained her and called police.

A probation officer's report said the girl was not violent but immature and had a problem controlling herself. She had made some 'bad friends' and become a member of a triad society when in Primary Six. Her gangster friends later assaulted her and she needed hospital treatment.

Lee passed the non-custodial sentence in light of the girl's youth and remorse. The girl will appear in court in four months to report her progress.