Abby Choi murder: lawyers for accused family blame ‘sluggish’ police for repeated trial delays
- Counsel representing Choi’s ex-husband tells Kowloon City Court force’s repeated requests for adjournment have impeded defence’s preparation for high-profile trial
- But prosecutor says government chemists need more time than usual to examine so many pieces of DNA evidence
Lawyers for a Hong Kong family being tried over the murder of model Abby Choi Tin-fung have complained to a court over what they say are excessive delays in the police investigation against them, claiming they have weakened their ability to mount a proper defence.
Counsel representing the family of Choi’s ex-husband told Kowloon City Court on Wednesday the force’s repeated requests for an adjournment had impeded the defence’s preparation for the high-profile trial.
But prosecutors rejected that contention and revealed the investigation would be completed once government chemists finished compiling reports on 150 pieces of evidence sent for DNA examinations.
The court adjourned the case for 10 weeks until December 20. It also instructed the prosecution to inform the defence in advance about the investigation’s progress.
Choi’s dismembered remains were found in a three-storey house in Tai Po’s Lung Mei Tsuen village in late February.
Choi’s former spouse Alex Kwong Kong-chi, 28, his father Kwong Kau, 65, and elder brother Anthony Kwong Kong-kit, 31, are awaiting trial behind bars on a joint murder charge.
Alex Kwong’s mother, Jenny Li Sui-heung, 63, has also been remanded in custody for allegedly perverting the course of justice by destroying evidence against her.
Yacht rental agent Lam Shun, 42, and jobless Irene Pun Hau-yin, 30, each face a count of a similar but lesser offence of assisting an offender after they reportedly helped to arrange Alex Kwong’s attempt to flee to Macau. They were both released on a HK$50,000 (US$6,390) bail.
Court prosecutor Brian Lai Tak-ki said 250 exhibits were sent to a government laboratory for analysis, of which 100 pieces had been fully examined. The remaining work would be complete shortly, he added.
The next step would be for the Department of Justice to consider the strength of the evidence and decide how to proceed, according to the prosecutor.
He said the postponement since the family’s prosecution in late February was necessary and highlighted that forensic pathologists needed more time than usual to examine the remains seized at the scene.
But defence lawyer Eric So Chi-kit called progress in the case “very undesirable”, saying his team was unable to do anything, all while their clients waited in jail.
“These delays were not caused by the defence,” he said. “They were all because of how sluggish the police officer in charge has been in handling the case.”
The lawyer submitted that a cost order against the prosecution should be made in light of the latest adjournment, but acting principal magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han found she might not have the power to grant the request.
Heung also stressed a delay was inevitable in such cases unless the prosecution decided to drop all charges.
She ordered the Kwong family to remain in custody until the next sitting on December 20. She also relaxed Lam and Pun’s bail conditions by requiring them to report to police only once a week during the adjournment.
