Father threatened to rape and kill welfare chief, court told

A divorced man threatened to rape and kill Director of Social Welfare Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor after losing a custody battle for his children, a court heard yesterday.

Kam Chiu-shun, 42, was granted a divorce from his wife in December last year. At the same hearing, custody of their daughter, 10, and son, six, was temporarily given to his wife, Kwun Tong Court heard.

Kiu Ching-ha, a social worker assigned to Kam's case, told the court the construction worker, who denies four counts of criminal intimidation, repeatedly blamed the department for not helping him.

Ms Kiu said that on February 28, Kam admitted sending a letter to the Social Welfare Department's Kowloon Bay office in which he stated that if he had to die, he wanted to die with department staff. The unsigned letter was addressed to Mrs Lam and sent on January 2.

Ms Kiu said Kam also told her: 'Your department has destroyed my family. I will rape and kill the director. Her staff have made mistakes. The director has to shoulder the responsibility.' She said he tried to visit the head office to ask Mrs Lam for an explanation of the department's 'wrongdoings', but could not find it.

The social worker said she thought he was trying to force the department to grant him custody of the children.