RELATIVES of a man who died after claiming he was subjected to a 20-minute beating by police in a busy marketplace, have demanded an independent inquiry.
The Sunday Morning Post spoke to residents living near Fu Shing Street market in Tai Po who said a crowd of nearly 100 people gathered to watch the beating as it unfolded at 3.45 pm on March 6.
'We didn't think to call the police - it was the police. We thought that they were wrestling with a thief,' said one woman, who asked not to be named.
One man said he saw an officer push the man's face to the ground, while another officer pinned his arms behind his back and beat him repeatedly on the chest. He said the third officer held the man's legs.
Another witness estimated the attack continued for at least 20 minutes. 'The man on the ground continually cried out, asking to be taken to the police station,' he said.
'The man was wearing slippers, had a bag of biscuits in his hand and a soda drink. He was far from threatening looking.' The victim, Lee Sing-tat, 37, was said by police to have refused to hand over his identity card when approached for a routine check.