A schizophrenic man has been sent to a psychiatric centre for an unspecified term after he chopped a four-year-old boy to death and severely injured the boy's father.
Sentencing Leung Chuen-wing, 39, in the Court of First Instance yesterday, Mr Justice Darryl Saw said the attack was a tragedy for the victims' family and the defendant.
Leung told police he had been overpowered by a voice in his head telling him to kill a child, the court heard. He pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter and one count of wounding with intent causing grievous bodily harm.
Prosecutor Crystal Chan said Yu Kwok-cheung took his son, Yu Kam-chun, to an open space outside the Tung Chau Street Temporary Market in Sham Shui Po at about midday on May 29 last year.
Leung lunged at them with a chopper, inflicting at least six blows to the boy's head, the court heard. His father survived despite nine wounds from the chopper as he tried to protect his son and overpower Leung.
Chan said Leung lived alone in the same building as Yu's family but they did not know each other.
She said the father had heard a loud bang followed by Kam-chun crying out in pain and then he saw Leung chopping his son's head.