Hong Kong murder accused says co-defendant is framing him to protect a third party
Tse Chun-kei says fellow defendant Henry Chau is covering for a third party named Ah Kin, who helped kill and dismember Chau's parents
A man accused of helping a friend kill and dismember the friend's parents claims he is a scapegoat - and that his co-accused is covering up for a third party, the Court of First Instance heard yesterday.
Tse Chun-kei, 38, told the court he took no part in the murder of Chau Wing-ki, 65, and Chau's wife Siu Yuet-yee, 63, at Tse's Tai Kok Tsui home on March 1, 2013.
Instead, Tse said his co-defendant Henry Chau, 31, was framing him to protect another man, whom Tse referred to only as "Ah Kin".
Tse and Henry Chau both deny murdering the couple, whose heads and dismembered bodies were found stored in refrigerators and plastic boxes in the flat two weeks later.
Tse told the court he had seen Chau with Ah Kin twice after his co-accused moved into the flat in 2012. He described the man as skinny but strong looking and said he spoke with a mainland accent. Chau had told him Ah Kin would take girls back to Chau's room.
He claimed to have come home as usual in the first few days after the murder until Henry Chau showed him a box containing human remains. Chau told Tse that Ah Kin had "met his mother" and handed Tse a phone and a SIM card to communicate.
After seeing the body parts, Tse told the court he experienced nightmares and could not eat. Afraid his own mother would be harmed, Tse said he disposed of some of the remains one night. Chau had called him to ask to dump more of the remains the night before their arrest on March 15, but he refused.