Abused wife who beat husband to death with hammer cleared of murder
Woman who snapped after years of abuse cleared of murdering husband but convicted of manslaughter
A woman who beat her husband to death with a hammer, after years of an unhappy arranged marriage, was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for six years yesterday.
The jury at the Court of First Instance found cleaner Liu Chui-fa, 44, not guilty by a 6-to-1 verdict of murdering her husband Cheung Chok-choi, a fishmonger. The same majority found her guilty of manslaughter by reason of provocation.
Liu, an Indonesian-Chinese, battered her partner of 20 years to death in their flat in Fanling on August 22 last year after he threw away her possessions and made a profane comment about her mother.
The court had earlier heard Liu was abandoned as a child, later raped and subjected to domestic violence, and had tried to commit suicide.
Defence lawyer Lawrence Poots yesterday told the court that Liu suffered from an adjustment disorder years ago, but had recovered.
Mr Justice Peter Line said Liu's tragic background was not a defence for killing her husband.
He passed a sentence of six years' imprisonment, taking into consideration case law indicating manslaughter of this kind normally attracted a jail term of between six and nine years.