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Stella Lee

THE wealthy Tuen Mun businessman who killed a 21-year-old student with chloroform after luring her to a hotel room on the pretext of attending a birthday party was yesterday jailed for 81/2 years.

  Hon Leung-fong, 33, had videotaped his sex attack on Elaine Luk Yee-ling with the help of his mistress Phoebe Wong Yim-ping, 28.

  Wong was given seven years' jail for her part in what Mr Justice Leonard yesterday described as a ''horrifying, wicked scheme''.

  The High Court judge said Hon had carried out a ''carefully planned'' assault on Luk to gratify his own ''perverted sexual inclinations''.

  Wong could not be excused, as she had tricked Luk into believing she would be attending a birthday party.

 The jail terms the pair received were met with dismay by Luk's family and friends.

  Her father said he would consider ways of appealing.

 ''It is unfair. Sentences can be reduced just by mitigation!'' he said in a shaking voice.

  ''So people who kill can escape long imprisonment - one can kill anyone any minute in Hong Kong?   ''It should be at least 20 years. Life imprisonment is even better.''   His other daughter said Luk had been a very good girl and had only taken a summer job at Hon's real estate agency to help the family.

  ''Can 81/2 years and seven years in jail compensate for the life they have taken from my sister and the harm they have done to our family?''   Baptist College friends - some sobbing in court - said the punishment was too lenient.

 ''It should be at least 20 years,'' said Custon Lee.

  Independent legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing agreed that the term seemed light.

  ''I can understand why the family is upset, especially if you compare it with other sentences. I think people are getting fed up with light sentences.

 ''We respect the independence of the judiciary, but when there is community concern we hope the judiciary will also pay attention to the community.''   The maximum possible sentence for manslaughter could be life imprisonment, she said.

  Human rights solicitor and vice-chairman of the United Democrats Albert Ho said last night that considering the ''recklessness'' of Hon's actions ''without regard to the girl's safety, he might have deserved a harsher sentence''.

  Of the 51/2-year discount, he said ''usually a guilty plea would not deserve such a reduction in sentence''.

  Although a guilty plea could be taken as a sign of the defendant's remorse, ''he might also have pleaded guilty because the evidence against him was overwhelming''.

  When they appeared in court two weeks ago, Hon and Wong denied murdering Luk at the Royal Park Hotel, Sha Tin, and pleaded guilty instead to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

  Hon, who now faces financial ruin, had planned the attack after Luk came to work at his property company, Dairy Sky Industries, during her college holidays.

  Hon, who lived with another girlfriend and their baby, had previously made explicit videos of three other employees, including Wong, who also worked for him.

  Prosecutor Pat Loftus told how Wong had invited the computer student to the hotel on July 24, last year for her birthday party.

  Luk's mother Wu Sau-yin had begged her not to stay the night, but the girl had insisted.

  At the hotel Wong had plied Luk with spirits until she was drunk.

  She then poured a bottle of chloroform on to a towel and placed it over the girl's face.

  When Luk remained conscious, Hon told Wong to lie on her while he drove more than 20 kilometres back to Tuen Mun for a second bottle of chloroform.

  When this was administered in the same way Luk started vomiting.

  After she had blacked out, Hon stripped her and filmed her lying naked on the floor. He then left the camera running as he indecently assaulted her.

  Wong told police Hon also tried to persuade her to indecently assault Luk, but she refused.

  Shortly afterwards the pair realised Luk had gone cold, and tried in vain to resuscitate her before calling an ambulance.

  On the way to the hospital they threw the video recorder and tape in the Shing Mun River.

  Luk, who never regained consciousness, died two days later at the Prince of Wales Hospital.

  Mr Justice Leonard said: ''Here was a young woman affected by alcohol and chloroform, who was vomiting.

  ''What did Hon do? Did he desist and seek help for the girl? Far from it. He drove away to get another bottle of chloroform.

  ''So much chloroform was used that . . . the deceased had burns to her face.

  ''It is difficult to imagine more reprehensible, premeditated behaviour.

  ''The death of Luk Yee-ling occurred as a result of a course of conduct that had been carefully planned.

 ''The object of the exercise was to gratify the perverted sexual inclinations of Hon on the body of a young woman who was his employee.''   Mr Justice Leonard said neither defence nor prosecution counsel had been able to find a comparable case of manslaughter.

  He said the starting point was 14 years jail, and he was giving Hon a 51/2-year discount for his guilty plea, his remorse and his clear record. He said the fact Hon did not rape Luk was not a mitigating factor.

  The judge reduced Wong's sentence by an additional 11/2 years for her early confession and her willingness to give evidence if there had been a trial.

  ''Wong was undoubtedly very much under the influence, indeed domination, of the second defendant [Hon]. What was done was for his gratification, not hers,'' Mr Justice Leonard said.

  ''But these mitigating factors do not absolve her from blame. She played a major part in this wicked scheme.'' 



Chloroform killers' jail terms anger family