A mainland woman who set fire to her Hong Kong ex-boyfriend's home in an attempt to collect a HK$100,000 separation fee from him was jailed for eight years yesterday.
Sentencing Wan Xiuying in the Court of First Instance, Mr Justice Darryl Saw said the crime was aggravated by her premeditation.
The judge noted that she had used metal sealant to seal the hinges and lock of the flat's metal gate before she lit the fire to ensure that people inside would not be able to escape.
Wan, 35, from Sichuan province, had pleaded guilty to arson on March 6. The fire broke out on January 25 last year at the flat of her ex-boyfriend, Cheung Kit-shun, on Choi Ha Estate in Kwun Tong.
Mr Cheung had moved out before the incident, however, but the fire injured his mother, elder brother and the brother's girlfriend. None was badly injured. Mr Justice Saw described Wan's actions as a calculated and orchestrated serious crime that had endangered the lives of Mr Cheung's family and neighbours. He found it 'amazing' that no one had been killed or seriously injured.
The court heard earlier that Wan met Mr Cheung, a cross-border truck driver, when she worked at a restaurant in Shenzhen. Their relationship started in 1998 and they started living together in Shenzhen.