SOME Tuen Mun women have taken to arming themselves with Mace while others have taken up self-defence courses in a bid to protect themselves from the serial rapist running loose in the new town.
Fear races through their hearts as darkness descends on the community of 410,000. The women say they refuse to venture out at night unless accompanied by boyfriends or husbands.
Women no longer walk casually through the housing estates on their way home - many run and eye strangers with more than a passing glance.
Many have been forced to change their routines because each one fears they could be the next victim of the Tuen Mun serial rapist, the criminal police have linked to sexual attacks on five women and two murders over the past year.
The area was deserted. Only occasional taxis sped by with their passengers. The only other noise was the rain and wind.
The latest death of Tai Hing Estate resident Ms Mak Siu-han has sparked a series of protests and the women are threatening to fight back. The 23-year-old disc jockey was believed to have been killed at about 5 am last Wednesday.