Nepali widow protests over prolonged inquest

An inquest into the death of a Nepali man shot dead by a policeman on a Ho Man Tin hillside has taken twice as long as scheduled, and has been adjourned for a further nine days on an application raised yesterday.

The Coroner's Court began investigating the cause of death of Dil Bahadur Limbu, 30, shot by Constable Hui Ka-ki on March 17 last year, last September.

The inquest has already run to 59 days in court, though it was originally scheduled to last 25 days.

Hui and his partner were deployed to investigate a resident's complaint about a man urinating on a Ho Man Tin hillside. The shooting occurred after Hu arrived at the scene. Hu has told the inquest that Limbu attacked him with a broken chair.

A pathologist has said the bullet penetrated Limbu's left ear and entered the left side of his head, causing severe brain damage. An abrasion on Limbu's left forearm was found to have been caused by a blunt object.

Meanwhile, Limbu's widow, Sony Rai, yesterday read a statement outside the Coroner's Court saying that she would be boycotting the hearing from now on in protest over the prolonged proceedings.