The nephew of Daniel Koo Shing-cheong, chairman of retail and manufacturing company Shui Hing (HK), was given a suspended prison sentence yesterday for attacking a neighbour in the lift of a Mid-Levels housing block.
Howard Koo Wan-hung pressed Chiu Koon-yu to the floor, punched his head repeatedly and tried to choke him, a CCTV video played earlier in court showed. The conflict stemmed from a water leakage problem in the neighbour's flat.
Koo had pleaded not guilty to a charge of common assault.
Deputy Magistrate Ho Wai-yang said in Eastern Court that Koo, 43, had committed a serious crime. 'The attack ... continued for over 10 minutes,' she said.
The magistrate sentenced Koo to two weeks' jailed but suspended the sentence for 18 months on humanitarian grounds. Koo's 67-year-old mother, who had earlier suffered a stroke, had a relapse in January and needed him to care for her, Robert Lee Shiu-keung, SC, said in mitigation.
The encounter in the lift of Botanic Terrace in Conduit Road occurred on June 19, and began when Koo and his elderly parents quarrelled with Chiu.
