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SCMP Reporter

A coroner will compel the former chief secretary's brother, John Fang Meng-sang,  to give evidence at an inquest if he does not appear in the Coroner's Court today, having failed to attend yesterday's hearing into the death of model Annie Pang Chor-ying.

'I'm extremely disappointed [at Mr Fang's failure to appear in court]. I'll not hear any other evidence. Mr Fang must be the next witness,' Coroner Colin Mackintosh said.

Because of Mr Fang's absence, the court had to be adjourned early at about 3.30pm until this morning.

The coroner said he would use his power to compel Mr Fang's attendance if he did not answer a summons to appear as a witness this morning, saying: 'This is Mr Fang's duty to come to this court to give evidence... This court is not operated for the convenience of any other outsiders.'

Mr Fang is the brother of former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang.

Coroner's officer Dee Crebbin told the court police had been unable to contact Mr Fang to tell him to attend court yesterday afternoon.

According to the coroner's original witness sequence, Mr Fang should have testified after Pang family members completed their evidence  eight days ago.

However, he was allowed to postpone his appearance in court because his mother, Fang Zhaoling,  died on February 20, the first day of the inquest.

The court indicated this week that Mr Fang would be called to give evidence after Pang's last known boyfriend, Sit Ping-hung,  finished testifying.

Mr Sit's evidence ended yesterday.

Mr Sit told the court Pang had become a drug addict.

'[Pang] took three to four tablets a day. She took pills like taking candies,' he said, adding that Pang also took cough syrup every day.

Mr Sit  said Pang had brought two men home and slept with them on two occasions while he was living with her in a Yau Ma Tei flat owned by Mr Fang, where the skeleton of Pang - last seen alive in 1995 - was found in 1999. '[Pang] had other men besides me,' he said.

Solicitor Mary Jean Reimer, representing Pang's family, put it to Mr Sit that he had never been Pang's boyfriend and never cohabited with her,  since he had admitted that  he never knew  Pang's age.  Mr Sit told the court Pang was a 'worthless woman who deserved to be suffering from illnesses and to die of an overdose'. Ms Reimer put it to him that that was a lie intended to ruin Pang's reputation.

Mr Sit denied lying about being Pang's boyfriend and stressed he had lived with her for a long time.

The inquest, before the coronor and five jurors, continues today.



Coroner orders Anson Chan's brother to attend court after no-show