Hong Kong man, 81, who killed sick wife to end her misery to be released from remand as judge ‘tempers justice with mercy’
- Wong Kok-man has been in custody since 2017 and gets two-year sentence which renders jail term served
- Couple suffered a hard life, with son dying of suicide at 24
An 81-year-old man in Hong Kong who killed his chronically ill partner to end her suffering will be released after nearly two years in custody as the judge said on Tuesday she would “temper justice with mercy”.
Expressing sympathy, Mrs Justice Judianna Barnes Wai-ling sentenced Wong Kok-man – who was detained in 2017 – to a two-year jail term, securing his release in about one month’s time, based on the length of time he already spent in remand, and a further reduction owing to good behaviour.
“This is indeed a tragic case,” Barnes said before handing down the jail term.
Wong, a retired bus repair worker, had suffered from a major depressive disorder and choked Lem Mae-kim, 76, his life partner of 30 years, by pressing a bamboo stick against her neck while she was sleeping in their Shau Kei Wan flat on June 6, 2017.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier.
The couple had a son who committed suicide at age 24, the court heard during the trial. Lem was ill and in pain, and had lost her vision, her sense of taste and interest in life in her final days, it was also revealed.