Six teenage murderers face life sentences for the sustained fatal beating and torture of a schoolboy who stood up to their bullying.
The six, among 13 teenagers accused of killing 15-year-old Luk Chi-wai, were found guilty of murder yesterday after subjecting the boy to more than three hours of what prosecutor Mary Sin had described as 'brutal and inhumane cruelty' until he died.
Another of the group was found guilty of manslaughter, while the rest were convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent or a lesser charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Three of the 13 were further convicted of the unlawful disposal of a corpse in a cover-up that criminologists say was shocking in its sophistication.
Police had the unusual task of proving murder charges without a corpse to provide forensic evidence, since Luk's body was covered in sulphuric acid, set alight with paraffin and newspapers and dumped in a rubbish skip. Only a few bone fragments were ever found.
The group - some aged just 14 at the time of the killing - appeared shocked and stared into space as the verdicts were announced at the Court of First Instance.