A DISPUTE of the ''utmost triviality'' escalated into a fight in which a 73-year-old man killed his neighbour by chopping him more than 80 times, the High Court heard. In his statement, Wan Tin, who pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Lim Nei-kin, 54, stated that the victim ''was no match'' for him. Mr Justice Saied took a starting point of eight years and reduced it to four. Mr Justice Saied accepted it was a tragic incident which arose out of a trivial matter and noted there were strained relations between the men. The judge also accepted that Wan was provoked by Mr Lim, who attacked first with a sharpened 1.3-metre pipe. Wan sustained a broken rib and a cut head and arms in the attack. He was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The Crown accepted that he lost his self-control. The judge also accepted defence submissions that the defendant was verging on senility. Senior Crown Counsel Mr Chris Coghlan said Wan was a retired construction site worker. He and Mr Lim, who was in poor health, were neighbours in wooden huts on a rooftop in To Kwa Wan. They had had minor disagreements previously regarding rubbish left in the corridor between their homes. On October 16 last year, a neighbour was awakened by the sound of fighting. The police were called and found the defendant sitting astride Mr Lim and striking him with a chopper. The victim was taken to hospital but died three hours later. The cause of death was bleeding due to multiple chop wounds. He suffered 30 wounds to the head and neck alone. Wan told police he had argued with Mr Lim over rubbish. He claimed the victim hit him with an iron pipe. Wan said he fetched a chopper and fought but his opponent was no match for him. Mr Lim retreated and fell and Wan chopped him. Defence counsel Mr Michael Lunn said the death resulted from a dispute of the utmost triviality between a retired man and a sick man that escalated out of all proportion. The court heard that the two men had argued before over drying clothes and bathing. Mr Lunn said Wan was provoked by Mr Lim's attack but accepted that his response was an exaggerated explosion of temper. He asked the court to consider Wan's advanced age and show him leniency.
