When a Hong Kong police chief inspector was held hostage and shot dead by his sergeant, who was cleared of his death
- Chief Inspector Leung Chi-lung was shot in the chest by Sergeant Leung Chung, who then held him hostage, in a Hong Kong police station in 1994
- The inspector died, but the sergeant was cleared of murder and manslaughter, after the High Court heard about the senior officer’s abuse of power
“A police chief inspector bled to death yesterday after being shot in the chest and held hostage for almost three hours by one of his own officers,” reported the South China Morning Post on May 3, 1994.
“A sergeant entered the inspector’s office at the Castle Peak divisional station for an interview at 3pm. Officers heard a gunshot at 3.35pm from the room occupied by an Assistant Divisional Commander, but when they tried to enter found the sergeant had locked the door and was threatening to commit suicide.
“Tuen Mun district Commander Ronald Clibborn-Dyer made contact with him and began negotiating for him to surrender.
“Officers of the Special Duties Unit, which handles commando-style operations, set up a monitoring post in a building opposite the station, with a view of the second-floor office.
“The inspector, 43 and married with two daughters, was slumped over his desk. The uniformed sergeant, 49, was seen standing with his back to the door, but it was not clear whether he was holding a weapon.
“At first it was decided not to attempt to force the door open because of the sergeant’s suicide threat. But at 6.20, the armed Special Duties Unit was sent in and they arrested the sergeant without firing a shot.”
On January 21, 1995, the Post reported that a “sergeant who shot dead his superior with his service revolver walked free yesterday after he was cleared of both murder and manslaughter.
“Leung Chung, 50 […] was acquitted after the High Court jury heard a series of extraordinary allegations against the victim, Chief Inspector Leung Chi-lung.”
Sergeant Leung, who accused the inspector of abuse of power, told the jury his revolver had gone off by accident when the inspector tried to grab the gun.
