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SCMP Reporter

A MAN who died as a result of burns to his digestive tract earlier said he had been forced to swallow corrosive fluid, an inquest has heard.

 Coroner Warner Banks was told unemployed Ho Chun-kit, 21, first made the claim to a friend outside the Kowloon Cricket Club in Cox's Road on August 26 last year.

   Ho died of complications from corrosive burns to the upper digestive tract on September 8 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

   Witnesses interviewed by police said Ho seemed to be upset about having broken up with his girlfriend, Maggie Yim Ting-ting, 14.

  Police investigations revealed Maggie told him a few days before the incident that she no longer wanted to go out with him.

  A friend of Ho's, Norman Phillips, 21, said he saw him at about 7.30 pm on August 26. Ho told him he had been made to swallow the fluid.

   ''He appeared to be in fear, in great pain and was unable to speak,'' Mr Phillips said.

  Ho was taken to hospital and a report was made to police.

  The case had once been classified as murder, but Detective Inspector David Fremaux said police found nothing to support Ho's claim.

 He said there were a lot of problems which might have given Ho reason to commit suicide.

  When asked by coroner's officer Paul Madigan whether the evidence pointed more to suicide than murder, Mr Fremaux said: ''yes.''   Another friend, Mr Ferderic Mcsmith, 35, said Ho had told him in hospital that someone had forced him to drink corrosive fluid but he did not know who it was.

 The hearing continues.



Man 'forced to drink corrosive'