bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

A SECURITY guard died of a heart attack just a day after he was beaten by police, his father claims.

  Lee Shing-tat, 37, was arrested in Tai Po market on March 6 after he refused to hand over his identity card during a routine check.

 His father claims that his son was subjected to a 20-minute beating by three officers.

  But the officers testified that Lee himself instigated the 'struggle' - and that it lasted less than two minutes.

  Lee was found dead in his flat on March 7, after missing an appointment with his lawyer to lodge a formal complaint alleging police brutality. A postmortem examination found that his body was covered in bruises and abrasions.

  The duty sergeant testified that Lee had complained of chest pain when he was brought to the station, and told the officer he had been beaten by police. Sergeant Sham Wai-hung forwarded the allegation to the Complaints Against Police Office.

  Coroner John Saunders told the jury they should assess the role of the 'incident' with police before arriving at a verdict.

  'A [heart] condition like this can bring about death spontaneously or as a result of stress,' he said.

  He noted that shopkeeper Yau Chun-fat said he saw the officers kick the fallen man before handcuffing him.

  The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure, rejecting the alternatives of natural causes and open verdict.

  Constable Lo Ka-shing said Lee's behaviour compelled the officers to use force.

  When asked for his identity card, the security guard pulled it out and then hurled it to the ground, Constable Lo testified.

  When the officer bent to retrieve the card, Lee suddenly snatched it up, the Coroner's Court was told.

  'I told him to give me the identity card quickly or else I would arrest him for obstructing the police and he would be taken back to the police station,' said Constable Lo.

  The officer said Lee first spat on him and then hit him in the eye when he made a grab for the card.

  At that point two other officers pounced on Lee, pinning him to the ground.

  Constable Lo said a crowd formed as Lee began shouting that he was being beaten by police.

  But his parents were unconvinced by the police version of events.

    His mother Ning Siu-kun said: 'He was law abiding and did not have a habit of using foul language.'   Both parents said they were disappointed with the verdict and hope to take civil action against the police.



Police abuse led to death, says father