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On Coady's conscience

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WHEN A COURT SET aside Veronika Coady's life sentence for murder in August, the 44-year-old former socialite art promoter believed God had answered her prayers.

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Although still facing jail for the less serious crime of manslaughter, having been provoked by her Swiss lover into stabbing him, Coady maintained her faith in the legal system.

In a letter to a South China Morning Post reporter, the ex-fashion model and designer, who used to rub shoulders with world leaders and tycoons, spoke of looking forward to enjoying tea with her friends when released from jail.

'God has heard my prayers to find the right directions to guide me and see me through,' she wrote in September. 'I am awaiting the . . . hearing, and deep in my heart I firmly believe in the integrity, independence and impartiality of the judicial system in Hong Kong.'

But yesterday, that upbeat mood gave way to despair as Coady was sentenced to 10 years by the Court of Appeal for the manslaughter of her Swiss lover, Gregoire Daniel Weil, 42.

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Clinging to the bars of the dock, sobbing and refusing to go to the cells, she expressed disbelief at the length of the sentence and asked: 'What have I done to deserve this?'

As her friends, who had packed the public gallery, rushed to the dock to comfort her, Coady made an emotional address: 'They want to take my life. This is not fair.'

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