THREE youths on trial for the murder of two elderly women killed in an arson attack were paid $4,000 to firebomb the old people's home where the victims lived, the High Court heard yesterday.
Choi Sun-ho, 87, died in her wheelchair and Chau Yung, 95, died in her bed after teenagers Ho Hon-chuen and Liu King-wai lobbed Molotov cocktails into the Tse Oi Home for the Aged in Kowloon.
Ho, 19, a transport worker, and Liu, 18, unemployed, have admitted they hurled the firebombs into the home at 4.35 pm on June 24 last year while a third man, Ho Ka-fai, 25, acted as lookout.
All three deny murder, but Ho Hon-chuen, a transport worker, and Liu, unemployed, have pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The jury heard the arsonists pushed blazing sticks through the door grille to ensure the fire spread rapidly.
In police interviews read out in court yesterday, Ho Ka-fai admitted he was paid $4,000, to be shared with Ho Hon-chuen and Liu, for the attack. ''I just acted as a lookout. We didn't expect there would be such big trouble,'' he said.
